Into this void stepped award-winning directors Mark Benjamin (CIA: Americaʼs Secret Warriors) and Mark Levin (SLAM). Structuring their film like a latter day Sam Peckinpah western, the directors join the crew of two Sea Shepherd vessels – The M.V. Bob Barker and the M.V. Sam Simon – as they encounter The Thunder in the unpoliced and relatively unspoiled fishing grounds off of antartica. Over the course of 110 punishing days, the filmmakers travel with the crews of the Barker and Simon as they haul the Thunder’s illegal and deadly nets out of the ocean, brave frothing seas and hull tearing icebergs, and risk life and limb to gather enough physical and photographic evidence to put the ship and its owners out of commission.
Beautifully shot and masterfully edited, Ocean Warriors: Chasing Thunder depicts all high stakes action and confrontation one might expect from such a documentary as well as surprising moments of humor, provided in large part by roguish Spanish speaking captain of the Thunder whose evasiness at sea and on the radio is nothing short of remarkable. Interviews with a square jawed official from Interpol underpin the facts about the scope of illegal fishing operations. And cutaway interviews with the Sea Shepherd crew – who could easily be dismissed as a bunch (mostly) white tattooed/pierced searchers – help illuminate the motivations that drive these young men and women to daily risk life and limb for zero pay and little glory.
“If the oceans die, we die.”
As good as the film is, one wishes that the filmmakers had found someway to interview the crew of the Thunder. While the captain and engineers of this ship were criminals who knew they were flouting international law, the Indonesian deckhands tasked with the scut work on the Thunder looked for all the world like unwitting hostages who had been press ganged into the ship’s service. By failing to provide this context, the director inadvertently casts the Sea Shepherd crew in the role of the “white savior” – a seemingly undying cinematic motif seen in films from Dangerous Minds to The Blind Side – come to save the day.
Despite this shortcoming, Ocean Warriors: Chasing Thunder accomplishes the difficult feat of being both wildly entertaining while imparting a strong conservationist message. In one poignant interview, Sea Shepherd founder Watson says without hyperbole, “If the oceans die, we die.” Words to think about the next time you’re perusing the catch of the day at your local market.
Ocean Warriors: Chasing Thunder (2017) Directed by Mark Benjamin and Mark Levin. Featuring Captain Paul Watson and Captain Peter Hammarstedt.
4 out of 5 stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guje_qFj0Js
Please inform Joshua Speiser that Paul Watson is Canadian-American born in Toronto, Ontario, not American as stated erroneously in his article.
Also, see this. Speiser wrote, “Sea Shepherd has its origins in Greenpeace from which Watson acrimonious split”
Aside from the grammatical errors, just because Watson used to be with Greenpeace, doesn’t mean Sea Shepherd had its origins in Greenpeace.
Having been a journalist in Vancouver, Canada at the time when Greenpeace started there and Watson was involved in anti-whaling and anti-nuclear Greenpeace actions, I can say with certainty that he helped inspire the Greenpeace actions and then struck out on his own, forming the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. That is Not the Same as the Sea Shepherd having “its origins” in Greenpeace.
It’s an amazing post in support of all the online people; they
will get benefit from it I am sure.
The Friday Harbor Film Festival is very excited to announce our 2018 Andrew V. McLaglen Lifetime Achievement Awardee; Captain Paul Watson; a renowned marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist from Toronto, Canada. He was one of the founding members and directors of Greenpeace. Captain Watson’s early work was featured in the documentary, How to Change the World, an intimate portrait of Greenpeace’s original members, highlighting the challenges of activism. The film was screened at the 2016 Friday Harbor Film Festival. Upon leaving Greenpeace in 1977 Captain Watson founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Watson has served as Master and Commander on seven different Sea Shepherd ships since 1978 and continues to lead Sea Shepherd campaigns. Alongside his crew he has starred in seven seasons of Animal Planet’s television series Whale Wars.
Capt. Watson will be honored at our Opening Night Gala at the San Juan Community Theatre, Friday Oct. 26, following by a screening of his new film Chasing the Thunder; a high-seas documentary about the eco-warriors of Sea Shepherd as they engage on an epic 110-day, 10,000-mile chase of the Thunder, a notorious poaching vessel. Wanted by Interpol and banned from fishing in the Antarctic. The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a person who has made outstanding contributions to raising awareness and his or her professional excellence in the field of filmmaking and activism. It is presented in memory of Andrew V. McLaglen, a proficient Award winning Film Director and long-time resident of San Juan Island.
Plan to attend the 6thannual FRIDAY HARBOR Documentary FILM FESTIVAL; Oct. 26-27-28, 2018.
Never heard of Sea Shepherd. Love it already
Get this on Netflix ASAP.
People need to see this
When is this going to be seen in Europe
Captains Peter Hammarstedt and Sid Chakravarty and their crews on the BOB BARKER and SAM SIMON courageously chased the THUNDER for 110 days, the longest pursuit of a poacher in Maritime history. I believe that the passion and imagination of our volunteers gave them the fortitude to endure this pursuit and to carry out the mission to a positive completion. It was an epic campaign and an enormous victory for conservation
All of you work very hard to preserve Oceans save and clean. I think the main problem is all those people especially from Asia that demands every day more and more products from the ocean. How to stop illegal fishing if they’re encouraging for the people that don’t care to pay wathever. The black market exist for those that demands those products. Those who ask for fin soup are criminals also, aren’t they aquatinted about how are fins gotten? Greetings to all of you ????????????
Meant no longer of course
Kudos to Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd for enforcing what governments should have been doing decades ago. There is longer sustainable sea food for the uncontrollable human population and the wildlife. Humans must eat healthier vegan sea food. Hopefully the broken ocean food chain can be mended through international moratoriums so ocean life can survive. The wildlife have no choice to go to grocery stores. More insights at https://www.facebook.com/Ocean-Friends-1442963759271400/