THE PERFECT STORM

 

THREE STARS – Revealing

 

 

       On the walls of the maritime museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts, are engraved the 10,000 names of the fishermen who have been lost at sea since 1623.  Though the stories of most of these people have been lost in the depths of history, there are five persons whose deaths have been immortalized on film.  They are the crew of the “Andrea Gail,” a swordfish boat captained by Billy Tyne (George Clooney).

       Though they join this long list of people whose battle with the sea defeated them, their situation is remarkable because they lost their lives to a force of nature so devastating that it has been called “The Perfect Storm.”

       In October of 1991, the coming together of a cold front from Canada and a hurricane from the Bahamas caught the men of the “Andrea Gail” in a force so powerful that it not only took their lives, but also the life of at least one Coast Guard sailor who came to save them.  That this loss of life was clearly avoidable is the primary message of the film as it records the events of this tragic true story.

       Giving a glimpse into the hardworking lives of commercial fishermen, we are a part of the experience as Capt. Billy Tyne returns from a fishing trip with only a fraction of the fish he and his crew had hoped to land.  It soon becomes clear that this slump is not an isolated event and that the owner of Capt. Tyne’s boat is losing confidence in him to deliver a profitable catch.

       Though it is October and the storms of the Eastern seaboard are beginning to stir, Capt. Tyne decides he must prove to himself and his employer that he can still produce.  This prideful but somewhat necessary decision thrusts Tyne and his crew into a series of events that costs them their lives.

       Revealing an arrogance that is perhaps the root cause of so many Gloucester men being killed at sea, the crew members ignore the warnings of the sky and the unfortunate accidents of the trip and press further and further away from the shore in their reach for the “perfect catch:” a boat full of valuable swordfish. 

       The stubborn arrogance of the captain and crew seems to be based on both their thrill of the adventure in taking the storm on in a life-and-death battle, and also in their singular pursuit to get the money they need to make a living.

       This tempestuous presentation of how far people will go to get money and of the behaviors that cost the lives of brave men trained to try and save them from their destructive choices gives reason to pause and consider the siren’s call that money and pride present.

       Rather than listen to the pleading words of girlfriends and wives who ask them to choose not to put themselves in danger, it is clear that the danger and the possibility of death is part of the motivation and thrill of their choices.

       “The Perfect Storm” reveals the glaring imperfections of people whose decisions put themselves and others in danger.  Such danger comes not only from the lack of humble respect for the storms of nature but also from the furor of grief when death comes in such unnecessary ways. 

 

(words: 545)

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