White Squall

PG-13

1996

2h 7m

Drama

List

57%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

65%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

In 1960, a hardy group of prep school students boards an old-fashioned sailing ship. With Capt. Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges) at the helm, the oceangoing voyage is intended to teach the boys fortitude and discipline. But the youthful crew -- among them confident Chuck Gieg (Scott Wolf), timid Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe) and self-satisfied Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto) -- are about to get some unexpected instruction in survival when they get caught in the clutches of a white squall storm.

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Critics Consensus

Though it gets occasionally bogged down by touchy-feely sentiment, White Squall benefits greatly from Jeff Bridges' assured lead performance and Ridley Scott's visceral, exciting direction.

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Brian Lowry

Variety

The filmmakers take a rather facile, anachronistic "Oprah"-esque approach toward the boys' feelings about their families and the Skipper's role as a "tough love"-minded surrogate father.

Jul 25, 2008

Full Review

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

This particular landlubber felt like jelly for the rest of the day, notwithstanding the hokey courtroom showdown that closes the picture.

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Despite great scenery, the distinctive visual ideas of Mr. Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) and the strong dramatic presence of Mr. Bridges, most of White Squall remains listless and tame.

Rated: 2.5/5

May 20, 2003

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Once you get through all the cliches of the calm waters, there is a 20-minute movie somewhere within the two-hour running time.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 1, 2022

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Bridges does his best to command the emotional resonance we assume motivated Sheldon, but scant characterization marks him merely as a cipher for brawny, brain-washed ideations of what masculinity's supposed to look like.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 10, 2020

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Though lavishly produced and based on a true story, it still fails to satisfy.

Rated: C+

Jun 27, 2016

Full Review

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Mike P

Watchable true life docudrama which dissects the ship-wrecking of the USS Albatross; which was a ship that was being sailed by a boy's prep school in an elaborate nautical lesson. This is watchable but not great...Too many stereotypes; but the action is good. Recommended

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Cindy L

Strange things happen in the open ocean and unfortunately it happened to The Albatross, a true story. I thought the acting was good, the story intriguing and worth the view. A very good film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/22

Full Review

jeffrey r

A true story of courage and tragedy, told with empathy and art...a fine film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The brotherhood emotional drama seems like out last the stormy thrills

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's rife with arguably ham-fisted sentimentality that interrupts the exciting and visceral but simple story at hand. The performances from the younger actors range from competent to bad but leading man Jeff Bridges and Ridley Scott's control ultimately make this movie pretty watchable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Strong performaces from a talented cast and great direction from Ridley Scott. White squal is a coming of age movie about a group of boys that join a school boat to learn how to sail and mantain the boat. the movie takes place in the early 1960s during the tensions with united states and cuba. I like the movie just did not like the ending, but I guess it is based on a true story so I guess that is what happened. It is worth a watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Ridley Scott

Director

Jeff Bridges

Captain Christopher `'Skipper'` Sheldon

Caroline Goodall

Dr. Alice Sheldon

Scott Wolf

Charles `'Chuck'` Gieg

John Savage

McCrea

Jeremy Sisto

Frank Beaumont

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Synopsis

In 1960, a hardy group of prep school students boards an old-fashioned sailing ship. With Capt. Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges) at the helm, the oceangoing voyage is intended to teach the boys fortitude and discipline. But the youthful crew -- among them confident Chuck Gieg (Scott Wolf), timid Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe) and self-satisfied Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto) -- are about to get some unexpected instruction in survival when they get caught in the clutches of a white squall storm.

Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Mimi Polk Gitlin, Rocky Lang
Screenwriter: Todd Robinson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.3M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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