This one is about a true-life storm and some fisherman who were caught in it and died. Not mcuh ground was broken cinematically, but for some reason I liked it anyway.

"The Perfect Storm" is as I said about a storm in 1991 that rocked much of lower New England. The film focuses however on the town of Glouster, MA, who's only industry is drinking and fishing.

A handful of fisherman under the command of Capt. Billy Tyne come back after a strike out of a season and decide to go out for another two months to supplement their income. The storm kicks up and they get caught in it. The rest of the movie is them trying to make it back home with a butt load of fish, while the Coast Guard tries to save recreational sailors who were too stupid to get back to shore.

The picture was well-crafted in special effects and sound stage shooting with Tyne's Andrea Gayle, the boat. Wolfgang Peterson (Troy, Outbreak) was at the helm for this film and did a standard job, with the exception of casting Mark Wahlberg (Three Kings) and Diane Lane (Under the Tuscan Sun) as a couple. Their performances were fine apart, but together they just weren't believable. Nicholas Cage was originally supposed to play Wahlberg's part. That would've been the better choice, but I read he had to back out for other commitments.

George Clooney (Ocean's 11) plays Billy Tyne and gives NOTHING to the role. He stood out like a soar thumb. Every other actor chose to adopt an accent from the region except for this egotistical bitch. Clooney is not an actor. He's a performer who rides his celebrity sled like a child down a snowy mountain. Being such a big part, and having no accent, his poor give in this role is completely noticeable. He was obviously there for namesake and he obviously knew it. Fuck him.

The best performances came from Michael Ironside as the asshole owner of the Andrea Gayle, and the lady who owned the bar. That's about it.

The picture is fun to watch and root for the Andrea Gayle's return home, but in the end, it doesn't seem worth the ride. It has some falable aspects as much as "Open Water" did for me, being marketed as a true story.

I'd see this picture if you haven't. It's pretty fun and exciting, but it's not monumental.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?