Ghost Ship (2002)

Director:

Steve Beck

Writers (WGA):

Mark Hanlon (story)
Mark Hanlon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Sea Evil

Plot:

A salvage crew that discovers a long-lost 1962 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea soon notices, as they try to tow it back to land, that "strange things" happen...

Plot Keywords:

Ocean Liner | Hanged Child | Flashback Sequence | Ghost Ship | Skeleton

Cast

Gabriel Byrne	...	Captain Sean Murphy
Julianna Margulies	...	Maureen Epps
Ron Eldard	...	Dodge
Desmond Harrington	...	Jack Ferriman
Isaiah Washington	...	Greer
Alex Dimitriades	...	Santos
Karl Urban	...	Munder
Emily Browning	...	Katie Harwood
Francesca Rettondini	...	Francesca
Boris Brkic	...	Chief Steward
Bob Ruggiero	...	Captain (as Robert Ruggiero)
Iain Gardiner	...	Purser
Adam Bieshaar	...	First Officer
Cameron Watt	...	Second Officer
Jamie Giddens	...	Friendly Officer

Also Known As:

Chimera (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18SG | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Denmark:15 | France:U | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #39390) | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Dark Castle Entertainment

Trivia:

The ghost captain tells Gabriel Byrne's character that the Antonio Graza rescued a ship called the Lorelei. Rescuing this ship is what eventually led to the destruction of the Antonia Graza and the death of all its passengers. "Die Lorelei" is a German poem about a siren-type woman who lures boats to ruin and sailors to their deaths.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the engine squirts oil on Santos, the oil changes positions from the left side to the right side of Santos' coveralls.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Greer: I can't hold her much longer, Murph. Port bow is heeling. She's taking on way too much water.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

My Little Box

Enjoyable enough

A salvage crew led by Captain Sean Murphy (Gabriel Byrne) stumbles across a passenger ship floating empty in the Bering sea. As they try and figure out how they can tow it back to land and cash in on its cargo, supernatural events begin to dominate their very existence.

The story is very linear and lacks real depth or complexity, but the film has a strong enough cast and direction to make it interesting and enjoyable to watch. The special effects are a little mixed, as if the film makers ran low on budget half way through, some of them are really good where as others are pretty much 'B' movie quality.

All in all 'Ghost Ship' is a missable horror movie, but it's not one to avoid. Worth a look if your in the mood for a horror flick.

6/10