‘White Squall’ Combines Action, Drama For Gripping Film

Rarely does a movie come along that combines aspects of a serious character drama and those of a hard-core action film. Rarer are films that combine the two successfully.

“White Squall” is such a film. It tells the story of the Albatross - a “school ship” led by Jeff Bridges. Bridges directs a dozen teenage boys on this ship, teaching them the rules of the sea.

But more importantly - and this is the focus of the movie - is what else these boys learn on their year on the ship. Most start out as self-centered, naive, wannabe Ivy Leaguers. By the end of the film, they are totally different, having grown into people knowing not just more about the sea, but of themselves.

Jeff Bridges is phenomenal. After a substandard performance in “Wild Bill,” he took the great “White Squall” script and great direction and turned his character into one of the best I’ve ever seen.

He plays Christopher Sheldon, a hard-line disciplinarian who, says one crew member, “won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.” He manages to bring out the very best in all of his students in ways you would never expect.

In more ways than this one, “White Squall” could be described as a “Stand and Deliver” on the high seas. In the aspects of ship handling and social interaction at an adult level, these students are pretty hopeless. However, after a year of life at sea under Sheldon’s tutelage, they leave the boat with maturity far beyond their years.

The one thing about this film that amazed me the most was nearly every person on the Albatross ended the movie as a well-developed character. As viewers, we learned the personal history of almost all the crew members and were able to believe the climatic moments of the film because of it.

So many films are made with the Jean-Claude Van Damme, 80-minutes-of-action mindset that the idea of a well-developed character making believable life-or-death decisions based on his or her personality is almost alien to moviemakers.

It is impossible to review this film without some mention of the cinematography. Obviously, a movie with a name like “White Squall” depends a lot on visuals, and “White Squall” definitely benefits. The tossing and turning of the ship on rough seas is documented so well that watching it nearly made me seasick. Also, the cameras made good use of the great acting, focusing and zooming in on the faces.

“White Squall” has something for everyone. For those who like hard-core action films, there’s something here to satisfy your appetite. If you like delicately handled interaction between complex characters, you’ll find that, too. Heck, there’s even something here that resembles romance. But you’ll probably enjoy this movie the most if you go to appreciate all three.

Grade: A