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The Perfect Storm

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The Perfect Storm DVD
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The Perfect Storm on DVD


In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in a "perfect storm" of previously unknown destructive impact that resulted in 100-foot waves; tragically, the crew of a fishing boat was lost in the midst of the fearsome storm. Based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm tells the story of the ship's brave and hard-working crew. Billy Tyne (George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, hasn't had much luck finding catch on his most recent trips to sea, and with money short, he and his crew -- Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), and David Sullivan (William Fichtner) set out again when they hear that the fish are running. Billy's hunch proves correct, but when the ship's refrigeration system goes haywire, they have to return to shore as quickly as possible before the fish spoil, sending them into the middle of the worst storm in history. The supporting cast includes Mary Elziabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane, Bob Gunton, and Karen Allen; Wolfgang Petersen, whose breakthrough film was the aquatic wartime drama Das Boot, directed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Sound By: Dolby Digital Surround EX
  • Released By: Warner Home Video
3 dynamic documentaries: HBO First Look - Creating The Perfect Storm; Witnesses to the Storm - recollections of the 1991 events that inspired the book; Creating an Emotion - composer James Horner at work
3 commentaries: director Wolfgang Petersen, author Sebastian Junger, visual effects supervisor Stefan Fangmeier and visual effects producer Helen Ostenberg Elswit
Yours Forever photo montage
Conceptual art gallery with director commentary
Storyboard gallery
Cast/crew filmographies
Theatrical trailer
DVD-ROM PC enhanced features: original website and Previsualizing the Storm online documentary gallery links
Languages & subtitles: English & Francais (dubbed in Quebec) (feature film only)

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  • The Perfect Storm DVD
The Perfect Storm DVD

Editorial Reviews

Director Wolfgang Petersen returns to form after the disappointing Air Force One (1997) with this taut, detailed account of 1991's "storm of the century." Though the film's landlocked melodrama never takes off -- most of it consists of the fishermen's significant others biting their nails and overacting -- the action at sea is tense, believable, and completely unrelenting. Petersen adeptly mixes CGI visual effects with impressive soundstage recreations and location footage, as he charts the doomed course of crazily-determined skipper Billy Tyne (George Clooney) and his more cautious neophyte crewman Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg, in a standout performance). Though the film's dark, complex set pieces have the potential to be murky and convoluted, Petersen never shortchanges the audience with confusing logistics, shaky camerawork, or jumpy editing. In every scene, there's a palpable, specific sense of the risk and danger involved -- so much so that James Horner's cloying score seems redundant and superficial. One particularly sore spot: the talented Karen Allen is underused as a yachtswoman caught in the eye of the storm; it's as if her scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi