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The Perfect Storm
The Perfect Storm Theatrical poster
Directed by	Wolfgang Petersen
Produced by	Gail Katz
Written by	Sebastian Junger (book) William D. Wittliff Bo Goldman (uncredited)
Starring	George Clooney Mark Wahlberg Diane Lane John C. Reilly William Fichtner
Music by	James Horner
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	June 30, 2000 (USA)
Running time	130 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120,000,000 (est.)
Gross revenue	$325,756,637

The Perfect Storm is a 2000 film adapted from the book of the same title by Sebastian Junger. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and features George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, William Fichtner, John C. Reilly, Allen Payne, John Hawkes, Diane Lane, Michael Ironside, Karen Allen and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.^[1] The film was released on June 30, 2000 by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Reception 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Plot

In September 1991, the swordfishing boat Andrea Gail returns to port in Gloucester, Massachusetts with a poor catch. Desperate for money, Billy Tyne (the captain) convinces the Andrea Gail's crew to join him for one more late season fishing expedition. They head out past their usual fishing grounds, leaving a developing thunderstorm behind them. Initially unsuccessful, they head to the Flemish Cap, where their luck improves. At the height of their fishing the ice machine breaks; the only way to preserve their catch is to hurry back to shore. After debating whether to sail through the building storm or to wait it out, the crew decide to risk the storm. However, between the Andrea Gail and Gloucester is a confluence of two powerful weather fronts and a hurricane, which the crew of Andrea Gail underestimate. After repeated warnings from other ships, the Andrea Gail loses her antenna, forcing a fellow ship to call in a Mayday. An Air National Guard rescue helicopter responds, but after failing to perform a midair refuel, the helicopter crew ditch the aircraft before it crashes, and all but one of the crew members are rescued by a Coast Guard vessel, the Tamaroa. The Andrea Gail endures various problems: with 40-foot/12-meter waves crashing on to the deck, a broken stabilizer ramming the side of the ship, and two men thrown overboard. The crew decide to turn around to avoid further damage by the storm. After doing so, the vessel encounters an enormous rogue wave (possibly 100 - 130 feet/30 - 40 meters high). After attempting and failing to ride over the wave, the stricken fishing vessel capsizes and sinks. Only Bobby manages to get out of the boat; however, he has no chance of surviving. He is last seen all alone among the waves. Back at shore a memorial ceremony is carried out while friends and family worry and wait for a ship that never comes home.^[1]

[edit] Cast

George Clooney as William "Billy" Tyne, captain of the Andrea Gail, a sword-fishing boat. Billy is a divorced father of two daughters who is determined to make one last fishing trip before the end of the season to make up for a poor catch.
Mark Wahlberg as Robert "Bobby" Shatford, the youngest and most inexperienced of the crew of the Andrea Gail. Bobby is the son of Ethel Shatford, the owner of the Crow's Nest, and boyfriend to Chris Cotter. He reluctantly signs on for one last trip.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Linda Greenlaw, the sassy female captain of the Hannah Boden, Linda has romantic ties to Billy Tyne. She is concerned about Billy and his crew going out in what she considers dangerous weather. Linda is the last to speak to the Andrea Gail.
Diane Lane as Christina 'Chris' Cotter, girlfriend of Bobby Shatford. She spends her time during the last fishing trip decorating an apartment she has rented as a surprise for Bobby. She did not want Bobby to go because of a bad feeling she had about the trip.
John C. Reilly as Dale "Murph" Murphy, crewmember on the Andrea Gail. Murph is a veteran fisherman who is divorced with a son with whom he's very involved. Murph has an on-going antagonism with Sully.
William Fichtner as David "Sully" Sullivan, crewmember on the Andrea Gail. He signed on for the trip at the last minute when another fisherman declined the position. Sully and Murph do not get along.
Michael Ironside as Bob Brown, owner of the Andrea Gail.
Bob Gunton as Alexander McAnally III, owner of the Mistral, a yacht caught in the storm.
Karen Allen as Melissa Brown, crewmember on the Mistral.
Allen Payne as Alfred Pierre, one of the crew of the Andrea Gail.
John Hawkes as Michael "Bugsy" Moran, a member of the Andrea Gail crew.

[edit] Reception

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The film grossed $182,618,434 in the United States and another $143,138,203 internationally for a total gross of $325,756,637. It holds a 47% approval rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes.

The families of certain crew members sued the producers in federal district court in Florida, claiming that their names were used without their permission, and that facts were changed.^[2] The district court held that the defendants' First Amendment right to freedom of speech barred the suit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which could not decide how to interpret the Florida law at issue and certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2005, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the district court's interpretation of Florida law and remanded the case to the 11th Circuit, which then affirmed the district court's original decision to dismiss the case.

[edit] See also

• 106th Rescue Wing
• 129th Rescue Wing
• Air Force Pararescue
• 1991 Halloween Nor’easter
• The Perfect Storm

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• The Perfect Storm at the Internet Movie Database
• The Perfect Storm at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Perfect Storm at Box Office Mojo
• Plot and background at reelviews.net

v • d • e Films directed by Wolfgang Petersen 1970s One or the Other of Us (1974) 1980s Das Boot (1981) · The NeverEnding Story (1984) · Enemy Mine (1985) 1990s Shattered (1991) · In the Line of Fire (1993) · Outbreak (1995) · Air Force One (1997) 2000s The Perfect Storm (2000) · Troy (2004) · Poseidon (2006) Television films Blechschaden (1971) · Strandgut (1972) · Anna und Totò (1972) · Jagdrevier (1973) · Nachtfrost (1973) · Smog (1973) · Van der Valk und die Reichen (1973) · Aufs Kreuz gelegt (1974) · Die Stadt im Tal (1975) · Kurzschluss (1975) · Hans im Glück (1976) · Vier gegen die Bank (1976) · Reifezeugnis (1977) · Planübung (1977) · Die Konsequenz (1977) · Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978) Student films Der Eine – der Andere (1967) · Die Rote Fahne (1968) · Ich nicht (1969) · Ich werde dich töten, Wolf (1971)