White Squall

Play trailer

White Squall

PG-13

1996

2h 7m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

57%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Read all reviews

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/30/25

Full Review

Robert B

Great movie, well acted. Ignore the negative reviews, anything that is positive and character building is frowned upon today. Comparable to Dead poets society.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Dennis B

The movie vers far from the book, but that’s not uncommon, but still enjoyable

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/25

Full Review

Ivan V

This was the only time I have ever walked out of a movie theatre 15 minutes after the movie started. TERRIBLE.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/21/24

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

The War

27%

73%

The War

Watchlist

The Portrait of a Lady

48%

51%

The Portrait of a Lady

Watchlist

Crooklyn

79%

89%

Crooklyn

Watchlist

A Cool, Dry Place

54%

59%

A Cool, Dry Place

Watchlist

How to Make an American Quilt

62%

63%

How to Make an American Quilt

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now