The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Reverend Scott	Gene Hackman
Rogo	Ernest Borgnine
Martin	Red Buttons
Nonnie	Carol Lynley
Acres	Roddy McDowall	½
Linda Rogo	Stella Stevens	½
Belle Rosen	Shelley Winters	½
Manny Rosen	Jack Albertson	½
Susan	Pamela Sue Martin
Robin	Eric Shea	½
The Captain	Leslie Nielsen	-

Review

This engaging film is among the most successful and remains one of the best of the many all-star disaster movies of the 1970s. It was producer Irwin Allen's first of five in this genre during the said decade, and here in 1972 there is still no sign of the weariness and platitudinousness which would haunt the genre later on. The Poseidon Adventure combines impressive visuals (interiors great, exteriors not so good) with a great drive; director Ronald Neame propels the script forward in a steadfast, effective manner. And there are interesting character relations and power-struggles along the way, even if they are only there to intensify the real point of the film: our chosen group of people's fight against the clock and the water on their escape to safety. There's solid, mostly believable acting, with Ernest Borgnine's performance somehow being the finest among them, in all his mid-20th century bruteness. His Mike Rogo is like a middle-aged version of Stanley Kowalski. There's no doubt that all these characters are a product of their time, but then again, aren't we all?