Review by - Matt Easterbrook

The Perfect Storm is based on the novel of the same name by Sebastian Junger, which documents the final days of the crew of a small fishing boat who get caught in the middle of the worst storm in recorded history. If you assumed this was a modern-day retelling of The Old Man And The Sea, you're not the only one. So did I. But it's based on an actual event, which, believe it or not, lessens its effect.

The Perfect Storm is pretty much a character study with lots of special effects. Top-billed are George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, more or less reprising their roles from last fall's Three Kings. Clooney is Billy Tyne, the captain of the Andrea Gail, a swordfish vessel that's had a run of bad luck recently (the film is set in early fall, 1991). After much teasing from his more successful counterpart Linda Greenlaw (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), he decides to gather up his crew for one last attempt at a big haul before turning in for the winter.

He's able to persuade all but one of them to come along for one last try; after all, they get half of what he makes, and he's not exactly raking in the big bucks. His second-in-command, Bobby Shatford (Wahlberg), against the wishes of his girlfriend Christina (Diane Lane), agrees to go. After that, the rest all fall in line: Murph (John C Reilly), who needs the money to pay his alimony; Bugsy (John Hawkes), a nice guy who hasn't had the best luck with women; and Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne), whose role basically amounts to being the Token Black Guy. Filling in the sixth and final slot is the mechanic Sully (William Fichtner), who immediately develops an antagonistic relationship with Murph.

The men set out to sea and encounter numerous minor catastrophes that foreshadow the much larger one that is yet to come; three separate storm systems will come together and collide, creating "the perfect storm," as weatherman Todd Gross (Christopher McDonald) says. Scenes set on the Andrea Gail are interspersed with small vignettes set on board the yacht of a rich bastard (Bob Gunton) and his wife (Karen Allen) -- another foreshadowing technique which effectively helps to build yet more tension. When Billy and his crew realize the danger they're really in, it's too late.

I'm sure I'll get a couple of letters complaining that I spoiled the ending. Actually, titles appear on the screen before the movie starts, telling of the creation of the perfect storm and the fate of the Andrea Gail crew, then saying, "this is their story." Ironically, the fact that the characters all actually existed brings down the quality of the film somewhat. Instead of making them flawed human beings, their lives are idealized, from Murph's loving relationship with his ex-wife all the way down to the fact that hardly anyone in salt-of-the-earth Gloucester utters a curse word. I realize, of course, that Wolfgang Petersen and company meant this movie as a tribute to the men killed in the storm and their families, so I understand why the film was cleaned up a little. Nevertheless, I could have done with a bit more personality to the characters.

But this is just a small complaint. The Perfect Storm is a story about the supreme power of nature over the relative frailty of mankind. And believe you me, nature unleashes its fury here. From the time the Andrea Gail sets sail, Petersen slowly builds up the tension; even though we know what's going to happen, we find ourselves on the edge of our seats, praying that they'll make it through. Wolfgang Petersen is one of the few longtime directors who has yet to make a film that completely sucks. Indeed, the suspense is kept so high in this movie that it could just as easily be renamed Das Fishing Boat.

Even though the men are the nominal stars of the movie, I can't end this review without mentioning the performance of Diane Lane. Her role is a complete stereotype: The Loving Girlfriend. Name is optional (although to stay true to real life, she's called Christina Cotter). Yet she brings so much heartfelt emotion to her character that her final scene, which as written could easily be a cop-out bone to the easily manipulated, had me choking back tears. Thanks mainly to her, the relationship between Christina and Bobby turns into a tragic love story.

The Perfect Storm, while definitely not a perfect movie, is a very good one, and a fitting tribute to those six unfortunate men who perished at sea during the worst storm of the century. Some scenes were obviously CGI-generated, but the strong performances, brilliant editing, and James Horner's bombastic score, not to mention Petersen's taut direction, more than make up for its few faults. Catch this one before it leaves the cheapie theaters.