Perfect Storm, The (2000) – Nostalgia Central

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the commercial sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney) had experienced an underwhelming season and a poor catch in 1991 and – desperate for money – had convinced his six-man crew to venture out for one last late-season expedition, heading past their usual fishing grounds to the remote Flemish Cap

After a highly successful catch, the ship’s ice machine broke down.

Facing the reality that their catch would spoil if they waited out the bad weather, Tyne and his crew decided to risk sailing directly through the developing storm to get back to port.

Unbeknownst to them, three raging weather fronts – including Hurricane Grace – were forming a superstorm of unprecedented magnitude, which eventually trapped the Andrea Gail in 50-foot swells and 100-foot rogue waves.

Magnificent foreshadowing and anticipation fill this true-life drama while minute details of the fishing boats, their gear and the weather are juxtaposed with the sea adventure.

The film also features the frantic real-life rescue efforts of the Air National Guard and Coast Guard as they attempt to save a stranded luxury sailboat, contrasting the escalating danger out at sea.

Released by Warner Bros. Pictures on 30 June 2000, The Perfect Storm became a massive box-office hit, grossing $328 million worldwide and becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of that year.

None of the fish in the movie were real. They were all either rubber (dead fish) or animatronic (alive fish). Director Wolfgang Petersen was an animal rights supporter.

Billy Tyne
George Clooney
Bobby Shatford
Mark Wahlberg
Dale ‘Murph’ Murphy
John C. Reilly
Christina Cotter
Diane Lane
David ‘Sully’ Sullivan
William Fichtner
Mike ‘Bugsy’ Moran
John Hawkes
Alfred Pierre
Allen Payne
Linda Greenlaw
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Melissa Brown
Karen Allen
Edie Bailey
Cherry Jones
Alexander McAnally III
Bob Gunton
Todd Gross
Christopher McDonald
Bob Brown
Michael Ironside
Irene ‘Big Red’ Johnson
Rusty Schwimmer
Ethel Shatford
Janet Wright
Sgt. Jeremy Mitchell
Dash Mihok
Capt. Darryl Ennis
Josh Hopkins
Lt. Rob Pettit
Todd Kimsey
Flight Engineer Borgers
Chris Palermo
Sgt. Millard Jones
Wiley Pickett
Dale Murphy, Jr.
Hayden Tank
Debra Murphy
Merle Kennedy
Alfred Pierre’s Girlfriend
Jennifer Sommerfeld
Douglas Kosco
Joseph D. Reitman
Quentin (The Old Timer)
Sandy Ward
Pam
Melissa Samuels
Commander Brudnicki
Steven Barr
Communications Officer
J. Scott Shonka
Falcon Jet Pilot
Patrick Foley
Falcon Jet Co-Pilot
Lloyd Malone
C-130 Pilot
Billy Mayo
C-130 Co-Pilot
Mark Adams
C-130 Navigator
Tim Trotman
C-130 Engineer
Barry Rutstein

Director
Wolfgang Petersen