Ghost Ship
Directed by: Steve Beck
Written by: Mark Hanlon, John Pogue
Produced By: Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, Gilbert Adler
Starring: Julianna Margulies, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Isaiah Washington, Gabriel Byrne
Cinematography: Gale Tattersall
Edited By: Roger Barton
Music By: John Frizzell
Production Company: Dark Castle Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment
Release Dates: October 25, 2002
Plot: In 1962, aboard the Italian ocean liner MS Antonia Graza, passengers dance to the song "Senza Fine" sung by Francesca. A young girl, Katie, sits alone until the ship's captain offers to dance with her. A hand lifts a lever that tightens a wire cord. The wire snaps and whips across the dance floor, bisecting the passengers and crew. Katie is spared as the captain pushes her down out of the wire's path, though he is killed.
Forty years later, a salvage crew — Captain Sean Murphy, Maureen Epps, Greer, Dodge, Munder and Santos — are approached by Jack Ferriman, a weather service pilot who spotted a vessel adrift in the Bering Sea. It can be claimed by whoever brings it to port. The crew sets out on their salvage tug, the Arctic Warrior. The ship is the Antonia Graza, missing since 1962. Boarding the abandoned liner, the salvagers discover nine boxes, each containing twenty-eight 100-oz gold bars (0.079 tonnes).
After a series of supernatural events, the group decides to leave with the gold, but an invisible force sabotages the Arctic Warrior with a propane gas leak. The tugboat explodes, killing Santos.
With no other option, the group begins repairing the Graza. Greer encounters the apparition of Francesca, who seduces him into cheating on his fiancée, then leads him to fall down an elevator shaft, killing him. Murphy enters the captain's cabin and encounters the ghost of the captain. The captain explains that they recovered the gold from a sinking cruise ship, the Lorelei, along with a sole survivor. Murphy is shown a picture of the survivor, whom he recognizes. He rushes to tell the others but hallucinates and sees everyone as the ghost of the burned Santos, who provokes him into a murderous rage. The others think Murphy has gone mad and lock him in the drained fish tank; Epps later finds him drowned as an invisible force has opened a valve filling the tank with water.
Review: The story begins in 1962 abord the MS Antonia Graza. An Itaian luxry ship as it travels across the vast ocean. The song Senze Fine is playing while passengers are dancing. The tranquility is sublime. A young girl sits alone and lonely until the captain offers to dance with her. As we watch the festivities we see a hand lift a level that begins to tighten a wire cord. The wire snaps abruotly and bisects the danincing passengers. The girl is spared death when the captain moves her lower than the cord. Though he is killed.
Forty years later and a salvage crew lead by Captin Sean Murphy is approached by Jack Ferriman, a weather servise pilot who claims to have spotted a vessal drifting in the Bering Sea. He says it can be claimed by whoever can bring it to port. A valuable salvage for a hardy and daring crew.
So the story continues as a range of personallity defects is revealed in each of the salvage crew. Each seems to represent one of the 7 deadly sins. Such as Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. Each seemingly falls victim the one of these sins. Generally they all fall prey to greed as a set of boxes are found to hold twenty-eight 100-oz gold bars. A nice sweetner to the salvage of an old ship.
The ship holds more secrets and mysteries and reveals them as the movie progresses. The way in which thwe crew and passengers died is slowly unravelled. While the crew are slowly killed off one by one. With a cliff hanger of an ending. Not for the weak hearted but a fun suspence filled movie.
M J Flack
