The Poseidon Adventure

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It's a toss up for me between this and "The Towering Inferno" (1974) as to which is my favourite disaster movie. This quite gripping drama sees an ageing ocean liner en-route to the scrap heap make one last, fateful, trip. As new year arrives, the ship is stuck by a gigantic tidal wave and capsizes. Carnage onboard ensues, with only a small band trapped in the ship's ballroom with the savvy to make for the part of the ship where the hull in thinnest - and the most likely spot for any external rescuers - before the ship goes the way of the "Titanic"! Gene Hackman is great as the almost maniacal preacher who leads this rather motley band through the innards of the rapidly decaying vessel with plenty of perilous scenarios for them to navigate. The cast are generally good - Oscar nominated Shelley Winters is super, Jack Albertson, Ernest Borgnine, Roddy McDowall and Red Buttons all really help the encroaching sense of menace as their task becomes more dangerous. Regardless of their billing - they are all expendable too, and that adds loads to the richness - and plausibility - of this borderline claustrophobic story that certainly doesn't encourage cruising. The cinematography is tight (OK, so you know it is the camera and not the set that is moving!) and there are plenty of pyrotechnics, obstacle courses and deadly traps from ordinary staircases to keep the whole thing entertaining for a couple of hours and I - almost 50 years on - still find it a good watch.

Seen this one several times over the years and still is fantastic, from the performances (Hackman and Borgnine especially) to some genuinely emotional scenes to the incredible set designs. Not sure if I place this over The Towering Inferno, but think it might be 1A and 1B amongst disaster films. **4.5/5**