The Perfect Storm (2000)

An unusually intense storm pattern catches some commercial fishermen unaware and puts them in mortal danger.

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Sebastian Junger (book), William D. Wittliff (screenplay) (as Bill Wittliff)

Stars:

George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Clooney	...	Billy Tyne
Mark Wahlberg	...	Bobby Shatford
John C. Reilly	...	Dale 'Murph' Murphy
Diane Lane	...	Christina Cotter
William Fichtner	...	David 'Sully' Sullivan
John Hawkes	...	Mike 'Bugsy' Moran
Allen Payne	...	Alfred Pierre
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Linda Greenlaw
Karen Allen	...	Melissa Brown
Cherry Jones	...	Edie Bailey
Bob Gunton	...	Alexander McAnally III
Christopher McDonald	...	Todd Gross
Michael Ironside	...	Bob Brown
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Irene 'Big Red' Johnson
Janet Wright	...	Ethel Shatford

Storyline

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. Magnificent foreshadowing and anticipation fill this true-life drama while minute details of the fishing boats, their gear and the weather are juxtaposed with the sea adventure.

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Plot Keywords:

fish | fishing | sea | death | seastorm | 

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Taglines:

Feel Its Fury

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and scenes of peril

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Clooney, Diane Lane, and John C. Reilly who are in this movie have played comic book characters. Clooney, who plays Billy Tyne in this film, previously played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman & Robin (1997) 3 years earlier. Lane who played Christina Cotter in the film would go on 13 years to play Martha Kent in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). Reilly who played Murphy in the film would also go on 14 years later to play Rhomann Dey, the Nova Corps corpsman in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

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Goofs

When the Hurricane Hunter flies through Hurricane Grace, the man reading the wind speed gauge says "winds over 140 knots, category 5." Grace was never higher than a CAT 2, with maximum winds of 100 mph.

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Quotes

[the Andrea Gail is climbing a gigantic wave]
Captain Billy Tyne: C'MON, YOU BITCH!

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Serious Movie Funerals (2015)

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Soundtracks

Rhythm of My Heart
Written by Marc Jordan and John Capek
Performed by Rod Stewart
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Clooney gives his all in storming depressant.

Active, exciting, moving...depressing. I have so many mixed emotions about this movie due to realising that more or less everything we see is true. George Clooney perfectly captures the busy, yet quite lonely man, that was Billy Tyne. Mark Whalberg, who supported Clooney in 'Three Kings', also gives an excellent performance as Bobby Shatford. The movie, on a whole, succeeds where a lot of films this year have - it's gripping. The whole scenario of the storm, the crew, the boat and the relationships are so scarily captivating it's unreal. However, if you don't know the ending or what goes on in the film, i won't say anything, but be warned! This film has scarred my mind. The performances from all actors are so good, i was depressed for about 3 days afterwards! That is the only weakness however. It's a great film a really worth watching. I would also recommend the book to anyone who hasn't read it - A bloody good read, although even that has it's depressing moments. 8/10 - worth purchasing because it could effectively become a classic.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Perfect Storm

Filming Locations:

Gloucester City Hall - 9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$140,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$41,325,042, 2 July 2000

Gross USA:

$182,618,434

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$328,718,434

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Baltimore Spring Creek Productions, Radiant Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS (8 channels) DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1