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 Adventure Drama Man challenges a killer storm |
 The writer's of THE PERFECT STORM William D Wittliff , Bo Goldman and Jennifer Flackett must have had a hard time writing a movie about a real incident when absolutely nothing is know about the occurence. This film is based on a true story but unfortunately since no one survived on the Andrea Gail, the entire story at sea is pretty well a work of fiction. This film has been praised by many but an equal number have panned it badly. I felt the same way about THE PERFECT STORM some of the story was incredible to watch and other parts were too far out there to really accept. Director Wolfgang Petersen performed his duties well but it still fell short of my expectations. The major redeeming factor in this movie were the valiant actions and sacrifices of the US Coast Guard rescue team. The scenes with these men were out of site. I would not ever be able to do what they do. My stetson goes off to these brave and courageous men and women. You can not say anything bad about the special effects in this movie. They are terrifying in their immensity and power. These are the most incredible waves you will have seen on celluloid. Their power seems quite real and you can not help but feel sorry for those poor fishermen from Gloucester. If the the real fisherman in this tragedy felt anything like these actors portrayed in THE PERFECT STORM then my heart goes out to them. It must have been a terrifying sight to behold the power of the only perfect storm in recorded history. "More people are killed on fishing boats than any other job per capita." Peterson has wonderful actors to work with in this motion picture and uses them well. Starring in this powerful film are GEORGE CLOONEY, MARK WAHLBERG, WILLIAM FICHTNER, MARY ELIZABETH MASTRANTONIO and a great cast of excellent character actors. These actors come together well as they perform their duties and rescues when trapped by 3 storm fronts all coming together at the same spot at the same time IN 1991. If you are going to appreciate this movie it is best to go seeing it with very little information so that you can enjoy it after all the outcome is a known fact. "A bunch of guys out there for some stupid fish." That's the game." "It's a stupid game." Sebastian Junger the book's writer was hindered by a lack of facts either than the few radio transmissions from the Andrea Gail. He put together facts from weather buoys and from the experiences of other swordfishing crews. He constructing a possible scenario and Wolfgang Petersen attempted to romanticize it even further. To pad it further he threw in romance and unexplained crew fueds. Unfortunately the storm effects minimize anything the actors do. It's a shame because they are good actors who were not allowed to let us feel sympathy for them. It is worth seeing at a theatre for the special effects alone. THe power of the waves will be horribly trivialized on the television screen, so do not wait for the video on this one. See it on a large screen for the full effect. "Rest easy in fair winds and calm seas." |
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RATING CANADA... Rated PG for language and scenes of peril. |
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vjm@metrocity.com