Baltic Storm (2003) User Reviews

Silly, too long and with super-bad acting...

[Pingo-2 · 3/10 · 7 July 2006]

Controversial German journalist Jutta Rabe who herself got divers to the Estonia wreck, put this silly "thriller" together to save her investment.

Donald Sutherland is of course always watchable - but he's only in three scenes. He delivers his material perfectly - as you can ask from a professional. Also, the main lead, Jürgen Prochnov, is at times very good.

The rest of the cast is, however, bad. The actress that plays the Swedish minister secretary (or whatever she was - she seems not listed in the cast) is EXTREMELY bad.

The script has some nice ideas, and the story is actually kind of interesting. The final screenplay should have been re-written a couple of more times though. Some scenes are plain ridiculous - especially the end scenes.

The film is almost 2 hours, which is about 45 minutes too long. Presented as a 60 minutes TV-film, this could have been really interesting. As a two hour feature, it's pretentious, boring, stupid and plain out silly.

Jutta Rabe might be a good journalist (her ideas about governments using Estonia to transport military items from Estonia to Sweden have been concluded as true recently, when the Swedish military officially said that they actually used the ship Estonia for this), but as a film producer she sucks.

The director, the writer and the actors suck more.

I give this film 3/10. I would've given it a 1, if it wasn't for the fact that the story is quite interesting at times, Donald Sutherland is in it and it has real stock footage.

But we don't even see the boat sink! What kind of movie about a ship that sinks is that? Like a werewolf movie without werewolves...

What a let down

[sscielzo · 3/10 · 15 June 2006]

I have to admit, I picked this movie just for the cast, and while Sutherland, Scacchi, and Prochnow were - as usual - great performers, the rest of the movie was such a let down. It feels like it was put together by a team of adolescents with low level scripts, that is, scripts lacking any depth, awful photography and editing, and hilariously lousy score! I can't believe I was able to watch this seemingly long movie until the end... the sad thing is, this could have actually been a great political thriller given the interesting plot. All the potential was there to make it a hit; that is, two main ingredients are there: a great story of national conspiracies, and a great core cast (even though many other actors are pretty much soap opera quality). But maybe I'm missing something; until then it's still not worth more than a 3 in my opinion.

Valid topic, bad movie, good actors

[Clossius · 5/10 · 24 September 2005]

As has often been remarked, on one level this is a genuinely rotten movie - story, filming, etc. Many of the German actors are really good, but hardly in this flick. However, the movie is a "good thing" because it legitimately raises the point of the "Estonia" disaster - which after all has never been satisfactorily cleared up. The movie is banned in Sweden, and that alone makes it worth watching. (Imagine a movie on an US catastrophe that would be banned in the US because it implies government involvement - such as "JFK"!) We do not know what caused the sinking of the "Estonia", but we do know it was not an accident as reported, and it is not exactly far-fetched to surmise that the Swedish government is implicated, at the very least, in the hush-up of whatever caused it. It's good that this movie reminds the audience of that. The comments on this site that such a movie shouldn't have been made because that would capitalize on the victims and their relatives is outright bizarre - if anything, this movie, rotten as it is, is one of the few monuments for the victims; not adequate, but still.

Pretty Awful

[mfsor · 2/10 · 16 February 2006]

This music is totally out of touch with the film, showing up now and then as wagnerian bombast and Lone Ranger hurry-up, otherwise nonexistent. The acting, outside of the two principals, is nonexistent. It would have been an excellent student film. The Russian soldiers are just models trying to act. The constant interruptions with wow-explosive-camera angles and monocolor clips of pieces of people were quite irritating, but that's just a personal feeling. The story line isn't worse than others, actually not worse than most, completely ignoring logic and reason and reality. At least nobody walked in front of a machine gun for three minutes without being hit. The three top-level bad guys were campy.

Disappointment

[Mialkoda · 1/10 · 19 May 2006]

I admire the effort of trying to reach out to the rest of the world with this tragic story. However, the movie is done SO BADLY that most people I know couldn't sit through it. The movie was relevant to me since I lived in Estonia when these events took place, but it is written horribly and fails to capture the attention of someone who knows nothing on the matter. The music choices do not flow well with the movie, it seems as if someone just turned a CD player on in the background to put the actors "in the mood". The acting... well, what acting? The only people acting are Jürgen Prochnow and Donald Sutherland, even though Prochnow seems uncomfortable in this role. As far as the relationship development goes between Erik Westermark (Jürgen Prochnow) and Julia Reuter (Greta Scacchi), it is like watching a train wreck. There is absolutely no chemistry and it is painful to witness their "sincere moments." This is not a good movie. There is a difference between trying to get a message out (could've been a documentary!) and trying to make a good movie. This is a failure and anyone here who says otherwise makes me wonder if they are trying to promote it. As a matter of fact, as a native of Estonia I am offended by this miserable effort. This tragedy deserves more than just a homemade low-budget ghost chase excuse of a movie. This could have been much more!

This movie should not have been made

[Catharina_Sweden · 1/10 · 19 February 2014]

I watched the first half of this, but could not go on. It was too bad. The only thing that was interesting in it, were the real (actual) news clips from the time. And you can watch those on the internet if you like.

EVERYTHING was bad. The script, the acting (several of the main actors were clumsy and amateurish), and the idea in itself of making a disaster movie without a substantial budget and modern technical effects. I am not saying that a disaster movie with expensive technical effects necessarily has to be a good movie, but the opposite is simply not possible. It felt like filmed theatre more than a movie, but when you are watching a play you are "in it" - I mean you realize that your imagination must fill in what is not possible to realize on a scene. From a movie you expect much more.

But the worst of it was of course, that a movie like this is offensive against the families and friends of the disaster victims. One can make movies about the Titanic, but to make a movie about a disaster that happened only nine years ago (I mean when the movie was released), when memories are still fresh and almost all the grieving people are still alive, is only disgraceful.

About the spy story, I am quite sure that there is nothing in it. It has been proved that the catastrophe was caused by bad upkeep of the Estline fleet, and a lack of routines for regular overhaul. Trying to find a more "exciting" explanation is only silly and immature, and can only cause more distress for everybody.

This movie left a bad taste in my mouth.

Just a correction!

[benjamin_hedlund · 2/10 · 25 July 2006]

Clossius says that "Baltic Storm" is banned in Sweden. That is not correct! Instead you can buy the film almost everywhere, like in gas stations, shopping malls, internet (of course) and so on. Often to a very low price because this movie is so BAD and nobody wants to see it, despite all the tricks to keep up the interest. The movie only appeals to conspiracy theorists, psychos and other persons living in la-la-land and those who "knows the truth".

Working on a museum with the Estonia disaster as a theme I have meet them all! I have heard about every theory that exists like cocaine-smuggling, weapon-smuggling, biological warfare, nuclear smuggling, red mercury, aliens, the Russian- the American- the Estonian- the Swedish- and the Finnish intelligence, often in different combinations.

Some normal persons have asked why we don't show the film? A question only asked by them who haven't seen this terrible nonsense movie.

Once again, "Baltic Storm" is not banned in Sweden. It has some entertaining qualities but what a hell is Donald Sutherland doing in this movie?

The stormy structure causes this to capsize.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 27 January 2022]

Allegedly based on facts surrounding the sinking of a ship in the Baltic Sea in 1994, this has a very strange method of filming that is often distracting and not in a good way. You get to meet several of the passengers aboard this ferry before an explosion causes it to sink into the sea, killing almost everybody. A reporter and one of the survivors who Conflict at first over her methods of interviewing him eventually join forces when they realized that there is some sort of government cover up that goes deeper than what anybody in power is telling them.

Reporter Greta Scacchi isn't the most likeable reporter, sticking her microphone into the faces of the grieving as they sit in the hospital awaiting treatment. Jürgen Prochnow is a father of a little boy who drowned, and of course, he is serious over her intrusion at a bad time, but later on, when he stands up at a press conference and questions government officials, they realize that they have something in common and join forces together which ultimately leads into dangerous situations that could possibly take their lives as well.

All's good so far, because there's lots of action, but the way the story is told is frustrating and ultimately maddening, utilizing camera tricks that are very distracting and manipulative and music that doesn't fit the scene. Donald Sutherland has a small role that a minor actor could have filled. There's also a subplot involving Scacchi and her son who are seen together at the beginning arguing over his homework. This is only a of importance because the son ends up being a part of the plot against her later on, and earlier, I found certain elements of her story to be pointless and distracting to the main story of the cover-up. A mixed bag to say the least, but I did remained intrigued to find out how it all wound up.

Interesting

[cijtwzhhh · 6/10 · 25 August 2004]

The Baltic Storm is a very controversial story which I think have a lot of truth in it.

It's about the big catastrophe in 1994 when the ship Estonia sank between Estonia and Sweden. Over 800 people died and only around 100 where saved.

The survivors told about explosions and the proof also told that something wasn't right in the official story about what had happen.

This movie is about that and it's quite interesting, but you should not expect any movie like Titanic. This is a movie which have been done to tell the alternative truth with a low budget.

I recommend this movie to all you out there which don't buy all the crap politicians and other high people tells us.

Inept

[lbk · 3/10 · 24 December 2011]

Oh dear oh dear. What a mess. The plot is good. The docufiction reference frame is good. The actors are top notch professionals. But the directing is pure amateur night.

The music score is as ridiculous as the direction, specially in the scene changes were laughable cutover fanfares reminds you of b-movies from the fifties.

(minor spoiler) The worst scene must be the Russian soldier getting an amateur fit and stalking like a zombie into the woods having a shootout with a laughably inept hit-man. When he is finally shot he makes a jump backwards himself to simulate the popular film cliché of being thrusted backwards by bullets. What a farce.

I am amazed that the great actors like Jürgen Prochnow and Donald Sutherland did not file a lawsuit against the release of this bomb. Listing all the inept scenes would make a list as long as the script. The direction is so inept that Ed Wood would have cringed.

Very poignant and relevant exploration of a real life tragedy

[www4321 · 10/10 · 11 February 2005]

In 1994, the passenger ferry "Estonia" sank in the waters of the North Sea on a journey from Tallin, Estonia to Stockholm, Sweden. The disaster was quickly ruled to be the result of natural causes. However, a German journalist spent the next ten years investigating the tragedy, and came up with evidence that the ship was carrying arms and contraband from the remains of the former USSR to the black market in Stockholm. The movie chronicles this reporter's quest for the truth. Greta Scacchi brings heart and guts to her performance as the journalist, and Jurgen Prochnow delivers a poignant portrayal of a survivor of the tragedy united with the reporter as they search for answers. Donald Sutherland plays a mysterious puppeteer who perhaps has all the answers. The film is tense, emotional, beautifully shot -- a gripping political thriller.

Poignant story of the how a disaster resonates long after it's supposedly "over".

[fiji3003 · 10/10 · 17 January 2006]

I noticed another reviewer saw this movie in Germany. So did I. I was on vacation and was interested in checking out what was playing in English. Therefore, I had no expectations walking into "Baltic Storm". (I had never heard of the true life tragedy.) But the names (particularly Donald Sutherland's) made it intriguing. So was the movie. It gripped me from the very beginning, as it set the stage for what was to come: two hours of tension mixed with heartbreak as two ordinary people (Greta Scacchi and Jurgen Prochnow) doggedly searched for the truth amidst of world that lies as a matter of course. Even if it's for the so-called 'greater good'. Even if it means that almost a thousand people had to die. Everyone interested in what's really going on in the world should see this movie.

An investigative reporter teams up with a bereaved father in an attempt to get at the truth behind the sinking of the 'Estonia', a real life tragedy.

[twink2815 · 10/10 · 16 January 2006]

On a vacation in Germany, we went to the Sony Center in Berlin and caught a screening of "Baltic Storm" in the original English version. I had only vaguely remembered the sinking of the 'Estonia' and was apprehensive that this would be another "Titanic" rip-off. Far from it. This film was the story of the aftermath and an enormous cover-up as to why the ferryboat sank. The story was tense, and had us guessing to till the end. (By the way, how did the filmmakers know about these so-called CIA 'black prisons'in Eastern Europe back in 2003?) Jurgen Prochnow (from "Das Boot" and Greta Scacchi ("Cotton Mary") and Donald Sutherland (from just about everything) were incredible. Awesome movie.

Great Film

[rh86 · 8/10 · 2 May 2006]

A really good film with some fantastic acting, especially Jurgen Prochnow and also should hopefully give audiences greater understanding of the Estonia disaster. Over 800 people died when the ferry sank in 1994 and the official report was not well accepted by the victims families(depicted extremely well in the film by Prochnow). You don't need to know anything about the disaster to watch this film but by the end you will know a hell of a lot. Making use of both testimonies and Jutta Rabe's research this film makes for an extremely suspenseful two hours. The only thing that lets it down is the soundtrack which occasionally branches off into crazy moments when a few characters are introduced. Other than that, a really good film.

A fantastic film with insight into the guilty

[rockstrrr · 10/10 · 8 January 2006]

Baltic Storm tells the story of a courageous journalist out to find the truth about a multi-government cover-up. It is a great movie with a tightly-paced script and direction. It poses the question, ever more pertinent given today's politics, what do our governments cover up in the name of protecting the world's balance of power? What information is too sensitive to be public, and to whom is the truth owed? The filmmakers did an excellent job of making powerful arguments for both the protagonists and the villains. You couldn't help but feel for the Russian operative trying to provide for his grandson, and his argument about protecting Russia's patrimony was moving. It is rare that a film can truly help you to understand the mindset of someone responsible for something as abhorrent as the sinking of the Estonia. And Donald Sutherland and Jurgen Prochnow turned in fantastic performances.

The loss of Swedish dignity

[anna-175 · 9/10 · 14 March 2007]

Benjamin Hedlund is doing his job well of course. He works on the museum where we Swedish citizens can learn about all lies concerning "Estoniagate". Benjamin and his fellows are that sort of people every dictator in every country will love, some call them useful idiots. Jutta Rabe speaks the truth in her movie. She had a low budget and was mainly concerned about the message, wherefore perhaps other qualities lack in the movie, but the truth is quality enough. If the truth will be official in Sweden there will be trouble, probably violence, but still I should prefer it, because the other option, to remain silent, means the loss of our dignity.

A Gripping Interpretation of the Estonia Distaster

[ksundstrom · 8/10 · 12 September 2005]

The sinking of the ferry Estonia in the Baltic Sea in 1994 was traumatic for the whole of Scandinavia: over 800 dead but through their relations and connections with friends so so many more suffered emotionally. The official report was never satisfying, especially the failure of security system for the bows and the suspicions of a cover-up from events unexplained and the decision not to bring Estonia up from the seabed. The film Baltic Sea is a serious valid alternative to the report. Secret service relations between Sweden and Estonia, with miserable consequences, are now well known, so is also the smuggling of WMD from the former USSR to the West, and the US and NATO's roles in trying to contain it, and so is also Sweden's "secret" ties with Nato and the US military. The acting out of these forces is very gripping, probably more so for non-Scandinavians who are less emotionally involved.

Very powerful movie

[otterbahn12 · 10/10 · 23 June 2006]

Based on the subject matter and the positive reviews at Amazon, I purchased the DVD. Definitely low budget, but no matter -- the story and story telling get you right in the gut. 'Baltic Storm' is passionately acted, written, and directed. The movie does not revel in the 'Estonia' tragedy (it looks like the filmmakers couldn't have afforded to even if they were so inclined), but instead gets to the heart of the whys and wherefores which contributed to the sinking. By the way, it seems that some of the other comments are reviewing the producer and not the movie. At any rate, don't let that put you off. The movie is definitely worth checking out.

Much better than others might suggest

[jon-832 · 8/10 · 15 January 2013]

To start off I think a lot of the negativity surrounding this movie is because of the touchy subject matter. Were it not such a controversial film it could easily have a rating above six stars.

It is certainly not the best film ever made, Scacchi didn't do a great job as Rabe and the chemistry was not great between her and Prochnow. However, both Sutherland and Prochnow did a good job acting and I also enjoyed Jürgen Schornagel in a smaller role. More than anything however, I enjoyed the feel of this film. The colouring and cinematography seemed to very much fit the mood that the film was trying to achieve. It doesn't have the atmosphere of a big-budget Hollywood movie, which I think would have been completely inappropriate for what the director was trying to convey.

I would certainly give this movie a try, particularly if you are not aware of the incident which this film is based off of and can view it objectively.

A post cold war tragedy

[glbeck59 · 10/10 · 31 December 2005]

"Baltic Storm" dramatizes and brings to the fore the 'why's and wherefores' behind a little known tragedy -- the sinking of the ferryboat 'Estonia' on the Baltic Sea in 1994, a disaster in which 852 people lost their lives. The framing device -- a reporter's search for the truth, along with a survivor father's search for his missing son, presumed drowned -- allows the viewer to understand the geo-political implications that transcends what appears to be a natural tragedy. As Scacchi and Prochnow (both never better) investigate, the answers they glean only bring up more questions which continue to resonate way beyond the particulars of this tragedy. The gloomy light of the Baltic Sea in winter enhances the tension and poignancy of the story. Well acted, (especially the turn by Donald Sutherland as a mysterious 'facilitator'), as well as written and directed, the film is quite moving. Ultimately, it should be judged on its cinematic merits -- not on personalities or differences in the conclusions the film suggests. To view it any other way, only disrespects the memories of the victims.

Very compelling movie

[frambrose_24 · 28 October 2003]

International political intrigue at its very best! BALTIC STORM is a very well directed movie that lives up to it's title. The storyline is inherently interesting and the plotlines masterfully woven in a way that keep you guessing throughout. The acting is very strong, especially from Donald Sutherland. If you're a fan of Costa-Gavras or just in thrillers in general, definitely check this one out!

An rather early effort to find and tell the truth about the Estonia disaster

[clanciai · 8/10 · 7 October 2020]

The fate of this film has been typical of journalistic films searching for the truth with the ambition to expose it, resulting in a controversial production subject to both devastating downgrading criticism and extolling reviews of enthusiastic admiration. The question is, does this investigating journalistic film tell the truth, does it come across it by accident, does it no more than dare to hint at it, or is it mainly conjecture and a fabrication in an effort to make a thriller out of a massive human disaster loosely based on facts? Well, the answer could be something of all of these. However, the mere resolution to make this film was heroic, that intention by Jutta Rabe and Henning Witte was thoroughly sincere, and they at least managed to reach for the truth even if the result became no more than a suggestion and a hint. Greta Schacchi is the investigating journalist Julia Reuter, who after the disaster sides with the survivor Erik Westermark (Jurgen Prochnow), who has lost his son in the catastrophe. The greatest scene of the film and perhaps the most authentic is when the survivors and the relatives of the casualties confront the committee of the official investigation, which is completely pinioned by political authorities and can no more than explain away the whole thing by excuses of natural circumstances, which the survivors and the relatives begin to realize is a hoax and a massive political deceit. The luxurious passenger ferry going from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, carried political heavyweight in the form of dismantled weapons and secrets from Estonia after it had separated from Russia after the end of the cold war, which possibly the Estonians had sold to America, giving the Russians a motive for exploding the ship, sinking it with 852 casualties. The governments of Sweden, Estonia and Finland classified the incident and tried to silence the whole thing to avoid the embarrassment of political problems, but there were too many survivors who had heard both the explosions on board, which no government in the world could do away with, and there were journalists who would not agree to have the whole affair buried alive with so many casualties sacrficied for polltical vanity. The film is well made, the actors are excellent, especially Jurgen Prochnow and Greta Schacchi, even Donald Sutherland has a small but important part as something of a spider in the web, but it's the character of captan Arvo Kallas (played by the Estonian Rein Oja) who makes the deepest impression. By chance he happens to intercept a Russian spy on board, immediately senses a danger, and when he hears the both explosions he knows what is happening, while most of the others don't mind. His later fate, as depicted in the film, could be true. That is only one of many questions around this man-made disaster that never have been answered, especially not by any government.

Tibor Taylor's performance

[Honorata34 · 10/10 · 27 January 2006]

Just take a look at Tibor Taylor's performance... He is to be the star of the century!!! Watch out!!! What a guy!!! The industry needs nothing or nobody else but him, I'm more convinced of that than I'm convinced of anything else in this world... He is a real, I mean REAL star potential!!! I can't make that more clear... I have never been more convinced by any actor! This film if it's just for the sake of Tibor, should be the major sensation!!! I stand for it to full extent... Can't you see the genius??? Come on! I was fully taken! Can't wait to see him in more major productions... I'm sure it's bound to happen though, as I can't imagine anyone overlooking this major star that Tibor Taylor is... You, PRODUCERS do the world the favor and show some real genius to us! YOU will be doing lots of good to the world and surely to your own wallets! He is rocking and he will rock forever! GO ON!!!!