The Mark Wahlberg Thriller On Streaming That Will Make You Afraid Of The Ocean
The grand force and ubiquitous power of the Atlantic Ocean is made real by Mark Wahlberg and the crew of the Andrea Gail in the Warner Bros. film The Perfect Storm on Max. Also starring George Clooney as the captain of the small swordfishing vessel, The Perfect Storm tells the true story of a group of fishermen who faced an insurmountable foe.
Mark Wahlberg is part of the crew trapped out at sea in The Perfect Storm, now streaming on Max.
The movie was released in theaters in June of 2000 and is technically labeled a biographical disaster drama film. The Perfect Storm was directed by Wolfgang Peterson (who also directed Troy and Air Force One) and based on the 1997 book of the same name, written by Sebastian Junger. Junger was actually living in the Andrea Gail’s homeport town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, when the events of the story occurred.
Mark Wahlberg was cast in The Perfect Storm as Bobby Shatford, the most inexperienced crewmember aboard the Andrea Gail. George Clooney landed the captain’s role, but not before the studio went through a few other big names. Harrison Ford, Nicholas Cage, and Mel Gibson were previously offered the leading role but turned it down for various reasons.
The Perfect Storm was a hit at box offices around the world, drawing more than $328 million during its run on the big screen. In its opening weekend, the film brought in more than $41 million and was second only to Batman & Robin for the most lucrative Clooney film of the time. The movie was the third highest earner, debuting on a Fourth of July holiday weekend after Independence Day and Men in Black.
The movie’s plot centers around the last fishing trip of the swordfishing vessel the Andrea Gail, and its setting is based in the port town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. In October of 1991, boat captain Billy Tyne (George Clooney) returned to port with a less-than-ideal catch. Determined to end the year on a high note, the captain decided there was time for one last late-season fishing trip.
Mark Wahlberg wasn’t yet the star he’d become when he was part of The Perfect Storm, but the success of the film helped solidify him as a leading man.
Alongside his trusty crew of Dale “Murph” Murphy (John C. Reilly), David “Sully” Sullivan (William Fichtner), Michael “Bugsy” Moran (John Hawkes), Alfred Pierre (Alan Payne), and Mark Wahlberg (Robert “Bobby” Shatford), Clooney’s The Perfect Storm chronicles the events of their last trip to sea.
After initially being unsuccessful at finding the grand catch they were hoping for, the crew heads for the Flemish Cap, where they find much better fishing and a large bounty to be reaped. After having trouble with their freezers, the captain decides it is essential for the boat to turn back towards their home port so as not to lose their catch.
The problem is that there is a huge storm between them and home, and it’s not just one storm, but it’s several storms all colliding into one record-breaking monster. After sailing into the midst of the storm, the crew battles the loss of their radio antenna. Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), the greenest member of the crew, does his best to salvage the antenna before watching it blow out to sea.
The lack of communication with their sister ship, the Hannah Bowden, spawns a distress call from Linda Greenlaw (the boat’s captain) to the United States Coast Guard. When the Coast Guard helicopter cannot successfully refuel due to the storm, they turn back and become victims of the storm in need of rescue.
Mark Wahlberg has made a career out of starring in movies based on real life, from The Perfect Storm to Patriots Day and Deep Horizon.
Film critics praised the excellence of Mark Wahlberg’s performance in The Perfect Storm, but overall reviews of the film were mixed. The visual effects of the movie were also the topic of some positive remarks from critics, but the movie only received a 46 percent approval rating on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Sound and one for Best Visual Effects. However, neither award went to the makers of the movie, as Gladiator stole the spotlight that year.
If you have yet to see the movie or want to see it again, you can view Mark Wahlberg and the rest of the star-studded cast of The Perfect Storm on Max with a subscription to the streaming channel. The movie comes with a “PG-13” rating, and the movie has a runtime of just over two hours.
