In the Fall of 1991, the "Andrea Gail" left Gloucester, Mass. and headed for the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. Two weeks later, an event took place that had never occurred in recorded history.
Features: DVD
Who knew hell was wet? The Atlantic swells form 100-foot walls. The wind shrieks at a maxed-out Force 12. It is Halloween of 1991 and three raging weather fronts--one of them Hurricane Grace--converge to form the greatest storm in recorded history. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg lead a talented cast in this harrowing adventure that intercuts the plight of seafarers struggling to reach safe harbor with the heroics of air/sea rescue crews. There's an unbilled star too: the astonishing turbulent ocean created by breakthrough visual effects. As directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, Air Force One), The Perfect Storm tosses excitement your way in waves.
"Super suspenseful and terrifying. Titanic and Jaws combined." Pia Lindstrom, Fox-TV
Editor's Note
Based on the engrossing nonfiction work by Sebastian Junger about the Andrea Gail--a commercial swordfishing boat that was lost at sea in October 1991--Wolfgang Petersen's THE PERFECT STORM brings the pages to life. The movie features a big-name cast (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg) playing the gruff, edgy fishermen in the Gloucester, Massachusetts, port, as well as close-up camera shots of the boats moored on the wintry docks. Viewers are drawn into the closely knit New England community that is struck speechless by a fierce nor'easter made from three merging hurricanes. Meteorologists call it the Perfect Storm.Despite the weather forecast, skipper Billy Tyne (Clooney) insists that his crew go out on one more 30-day swordfishing trip before the winter sets in. At sea, a series of tragedies ensues, including a man dragged overboard by one of the 300-foot-long lines and a bloodthirsty shark that gets reeled onto the deck accidentally. What's worse, the skipper's right-hand man, Bobby Shatford (Wahlberg), is homesick for his girlfriend back onshore. But it is not until the storm finally hits and the special effects--mountainous dark digitized waves--take hold that the Andrea Gail is rendered helpless even to Coast Guard helicopters and THE PERFECT STORM's terrifying true-story tragedy becomes reality.
Plot Summary
It is 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. Wolfgang Petersen (DAS BOOT) turns the action notch up a level with THE PERFECT STORM, a thrilling film that was based on actual events.
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