susan granger 's review of " the perfect storm " ( warner bros . )
"
more people die on fishing boats , per capita , than working in any other job in the u . s . .
every journey a fishing boat makes can be an all - or - nothing risk .
it is life at its most exhilarating and its most terrifying , " says director wolfgang petersen ( " das boot " ) .
and that 's just what he captures in this true story of struggle and humanity aboard a swordfishing boat , the andrea gail , sailing out of gloucester , massachusetts , in late october , 1991 .
early in bill wittliff 's screenplay , based on sebastian junger 's best - seller , we meet the crew of six .
the veteran captain ( george clooney ) is frustrated because he ca n't find fish on the grand banks , yet a rival skipper ( mary elizabeth mastrantonio ) brings in huge hauls .
his right - hand man ( mark walhberg ) needs money to build a new life with his girl - friend ( diane lane ) .
there 's a devoted dad ( john c . reilly ) with an estranged wife and son , a free - spirited jamaican ( allen payne ) , a lonely guy ( john hawkes ) , and a last - minute replacement with a bad attitude ( william fichtner ) .
the skipper 's convinced he can change his bad luck streak in remote flemish cap , and he does .
but then trouble begins .
there 's a rogue wave , a man overboard and the ice machine breaks - with 60 , 000 lb . of fish that could spoil .
but that 's minor compared with a deadly monster storm approaching which a boston meteorologist describes as " a disaster of epic proportions " that also threatens the lives of a coast guard helicopter rescue team trying to save three people stranded on a sailboat on the high seas .
it 's formulaic and there are cliches , but the walls of water , created by fluid dynamics simulating real - life phenomena , are awesome
.
on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , " the perfect storm " is
a terrifying , suspenseful 8 . hang on for the white - knuckle thrill ride of the summer !
hang on for the white - knuckle thrill ride of the summer ! that 's just what he captures in this true story awesome a terrifying , suspenseful