The Perfect Storm (2000)

In 1991, the captain (George Clooney) of a fishing boat, disappointed with his recent catches, decides to go further than he's ever gone before and he and his five man crew head out to the Flemish Cap. What he doesn't foresee is the confluence of two powerful weather fronts which make the perfect storm. Based on a true story, many of the "facts" are ignored and instead dramatic license is given full reign. The fate of the Andrea Gail and its last moments are not known and the narrative for that segment is entirely a fictional creation. But one doesn't (I hope) go to the movies believing every "based on a true story" we see. What matters is the film and after a rough half hour which is all hokey exposition in which we're introduced to the men (and their women), the film kicks into high gear when it heads out to the high seas. There it becomes a rip roaring exciting edge of your seat adventure and even if we know the tragic outcome, the director Wolfgang Petersen (DAS BOOT) keeps us involved. There is a subplot about a yacht with 3 people caught in the storm that is given short shrift. James Horner's underscore, while good, pushes too hard. The large cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John C. Reilly, Cherry Jones, William Fichtner, Karen Allen, John Hawkes, Bob Gunton, Michael Ironside and Christopher McDonald.