White Squall

1996 Action/Adventure

Based on a true incident from 1960, White Squall is the story of the tragic sinking of the Albatross, a prep school educational two-masted schooner, during a Caribbean storm. Screenwriter Todd Robinson wrote the script after meeting one of the tragedy's survivors, Chuck Gieg. In the film, Gieg (Scott Wolf) is the narrator. He and his fellow students, whose parents have paid handsomely for their schooling, which combines classroom work with real-life adventure, are introduced to their grizzled seafaring captain, Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges). Gieg is initially skeptical of Sheldon's authority, but he gradually comes to see the captain as a model of manhood. The other boys aboard include Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto), a self-absorbed snob; Dean Preston (Eric Michael Cole), a troublemaker and bully; Tod Johnston (Balthazar Getty), a returning student; and the naïve Tracy Lapchick (Ethan Embry). John Savage plays the pompous English teacher aboard the ship. Various incidents establish the boys' insecurities and relationships with the authorities -- and foreshadow their eventual fate. The killer squall comes up quietly but soon turns deadly, and the boys are forced to go beyond their privileged upbringings and deal with real danger. more..

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf, Jeremy Sisto

Reviews

  • Scott is able to make it fresh and lyrical, as well as give us rousingly exciting scenes of nature in eruption.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    11 May 2013

  • I enjoyed the movie for the sheer physical exuberance of its adventure. It is magnificently mounted and photographed.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    11 May 2013

  • Amid the action heroics of White Squall, Bridges creates a character of consequence.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    11 May 2013

  • White Squall is lovely to look at, but frustrating to behold.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    11 May 2013

  • The 15-minute squall is spectacular and the movie's partial redeemer - the minimum you'd hope for in a movie called White Squall, don't you think?

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    11 May 2013

Awards

  • Best Sound Editing - Feature Film

    Motion Picture Sound Editors (1997)