Director Wolfgang Petersen takes a similar approach to this film as he did in his classic DAS BOOT. We watch people doing their jobs. When dealing with one of the most dangerous jobs in the world the drama can be high. This is a grand "man vs. nature" action flick that pits humans against what the title suggests. Nature doesn't care that George Clooney is the captain here.
Clooney plays Billy Tyne, the captain of a fishing boat that has been having a rough year. He is determined to make up for it with one risky late season run to a location further out then he's ever gone before. His boat is populated with classic blue-collar movie types. Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg, THE FIGHTER) is Tyne's first mate and he has a beautiful girlfriend named Christina (Diane Lane, SECRETARIAT) back on shore who doesn't like his job. Murph (John C. Reilly, CHICAGO) is a fishing vet, who lost his wife over his job. He has a beef with Sully (William Fichtner, DATE NIGHT), a last minute replacement crewmember, over his ex-wife. Bugsy (John Hawkes, WINTER'S BONE) is an awkward fellow who tries to get a date right before they head out to sea. Alfred Pierre (Allen Payne, TV's HOUSE OF PAYNE) is the youngest member and adds diversity to the white crew.
None of these characters have any real depth. Unlike DAS BOOT we don't get into what drives them. This is an action flick where we're supposed to see the dangers of deep-sea fishing. We get to see the drama of being stuck on a boat with others. An overboard rescue. Technical problems. The brewing ultimate storm where two weather fronts are converging with a hurricane. Lost communication. Giant rogue waves. In a subplot, the Air National Guard are trying to rescue the people on a troubled yacht where the captain Alexander McAnally III (Bob Gunton, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) gets into trouble due to his arrogance.
Arrogance is a key issue. Tyne is a bit cocky about going out into a storm he's underestimating. Capt. Linda Greenlaw (Marry Elizabeth Mastrantonio, SCARFACE) warns him, but what does she know? It was a freak event, but they knew the danger going in and especially going back. The fishing boat owner Bob Brown (Michael Ironside, STARSHIP TROOPERS) doesn't seem to care about his crew's lives at all. McAnally's egotism puts the lives of the Coast Guard officers in jeopardy. This element does put a distance between the viewer and the characters.
Also the addition of the troubled yacht seems extraneous. Cutting away from the fishing boat diminishes the tension. When the Coast Guard heads out to the fishing boat, it's engaging because it helps build tension, especially the midair refueling sequence.
The film was an unexpected #1 hit, surprisingly beating out the Mel Gibson-starrer THE PATRIOT. As a simply underdog tale, the film is very effective. For 2000 standards, the visual effects were impressive and created a visceral portrait of what it is like to be trapped in a mega storm. Nature has no mercy.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
