George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and some really bad weather star in "The Perfect Storm," an intense disaster flick about the crew of a small fishing boat facing off against Mother Nature. Director Wolfgang Petersen ("Das Boot" and "In the Line of Fire") — working with a first-rate cast and some exceptional special effects — brings this true story to life in awesome detail. Like a raging sea, the movie pulls you under and never lets go.

Clooney gives a very understated performance as Billy Tyne, a fishing boat captain living in the port town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He reveals a new gift for subtlety with this role, a departure from his flashier work in "Out of Sight" and "Three Kings." Clooney’s innate likeability also helps soften this character’s rough edges. Tyne is a career fisherman with a reputation for always bringing in a big catch. Unfortunately, a patch of bad luck is about to cost him his boat and his crew their only source of income.

Clooney’s innate likeability helps soften this character’s rough edges.

Petersen and screenwriter Bill Wittliff (TV’s "Lonesome Dove" mini-series and "Legends of the Fall") do a nice job depicting the life of modern day fishermen. The film was shot on location in Gloucester, which gives the production an authentic look and feel. Some movies attempt to portray working class life, but inadvertently come off as shallow and condescending. Check out "No Looking Back" to see what I mean. In that film, Lauren Holly plays a young woman schlepping her life away as a waitress in a greasy spoon. She’s coated in such a thick Hollywood veneer that you never fully accept her in the role. "The Perfect Storm" presents a blue-collar existence by having its actors do more than just chain-smoke and wear frayed blue jeans.

The oldest fishing port in the United States, Gloucester is the perfect setting for this story of hard-working, hard-drinking men and women toiling in a profitable — but unpredictable — profession. If they don’t bring in the fish, they don’t get paid. Clooney, Wahlberg ("Boogie Nights") and John C. Reilly ("For Love of the Game") leave the movie star baggage at home and give unpretentious performances. These guys aren’t superheroes. They’re just trying to pay the bills.

Out of sheer necessity, Tyne and his men set out on a desperate search for more fish even though the season is almost over. They battle boredom, the elements and sometimes each other during their time at sea. Empty nets push them farther and farther out. The fishermen are ultimately rewarded with a sizable catch, but run into a horrific storm on their way home. What happens next is an astonishing tale of men versus nature.

The storm is a classic movie monster — immense and frightening — but how much scarier would it have been if we really cared about the people caught in its grip?

"The Perfect Storm" is based on the book by Sebastian Junger, an account of cataclysmic weather that assaulted the northeast in the fall of 1991. Three storm fronts collided to form a force of unprecedented size and ferocity. Petersen has employed the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic to bring this leviathan to life. The effects they have created are groundbreaking. You will feel like you’ve been sucked into the middle of the tempest.

CGI is often employed to present alien landscapes or mythical monsters, but I’ve always found this work most incredible when it recreates real life. Like the newsreel footage in "Forrest Gump," these storm scenes will have you doubting your eyes. I rarely recommend a film simply for its special effects, but "The Perfect Storm" is an exception. You’ve got to see these visuals for yourself.

As breathtaking as these scenes can be, there are still moments that would have benefited from less technology and more emotion. The cast is strong, but there’s not enough time devoted to their characters. We know that they need the money, but what do they really have at stake? The storm is a classic movie monster — immense and frightening — but how much scarier would it have been if we really cared about the people caught in its grip?

A subplot about the Coast Guard’s attempts to rescue a pleasure boat stuck in the squall also slows things down. It never connects with the main story so you wonder why it’s even there. Fellow moviegoers have argued that these scenes belong in the film because they actually happened. While "The Perfect Storm" is based on actual events, it’s ultimately a work of fiction. Every scene should serve the overall storyline. This Coast Guard stuff just seems superfluous.

"The Perfect Storm" is still engrossing entertainment despite these weaknesses. It’s a flashy blockbuster with the heart of a working class drama. Clooney and the rest of the cast deliver honest performances even if their work is sometimes overshadowed by ILM’s movie magic. They provide a refreshing change from the typical summer movie heroes.