Directed by:
Wolfgang PetersenScreenplay:
William D. WittliffCinematography:
John SealeComposer:
James HornerCast:
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, Karen Allen, William Fichtner, Bob Gunton, John C. Reilly, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John Hawkes (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
It's Halloween, 1991. Near Gloucester, Massachusetts, the six members of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat, head out to sea for their last trip of the season. Unbeknownst to them, a shockingly brutal storm is slowly gaining steam. Before the National Weather Bureau has a chance to inform the crew of the impending danger, it's too late. The resulting battle with three merging weather fronts--an unheralded natural disaster--is grueling and tragic. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
The acting is handled brilliantly (Clooney's captain in particular is more than believable), there's nothing to criticize about the directing (the final sound flashback leaves a significantly more positive impression than I originally thought), but because of the screenplay, it is unable to get past the routine, familiar patterns of the genre.
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“I'll be asleep, and all the sudden there he is, that big smile. You know that smile. And I say, 'Hey, Bobby - where you been?' but he won't tell me. He just smiles and says, 'Remember, Christina: I'll always love you; I loved you the moment I saw you; I love you now; and I love you forever. There's no goodbyes - there's only love, Christina; only love. Then he's gone. But he's always happy when he goes so I know he's got to be okay - absolutely okay.”
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If Petersen didn't try to unnecessarily drag out that movie. The story with the rescuers is nice, but if it had only taken place on the radio, it would have the same effect and the film wouldn't be so long. However, I appreciate the excellent scenes at sea, they are more than just well-made, they are very believable. The guys are well-selected, Diane Lane is fantastic. At least the ending is not unnecessarily American.
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The cast is great, the visual effects are excellent and the film’s dramatic poetics are also pleasant – it’s not just another popcorn, eye-candy disaster movie. The script, however, is too contrived, unoriginal and predictable, as if it was written at the last minute. What, for example, was that secondary storyline with the helicopter rescue of the boat passengers supposed to mean when it was in no way related to the rest of the film’s plot?
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A great film with a surprising, non-Hollywood ending – but since it’s based on a true story, they couldn’t end it in any other way. Otherwise, had I seen it on TV, I would give it three stars, because the way the people at ILM created those stormy seas can only be enjoyed in the big screen. But I’m not saying anything new.
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