On a boat!

Top 5 movies taking place on a boat

Which means not a ship or anything in that size. Yachts, motorboats, rowing boats and everything in between are accepted. Another requirement is that the time spent on the boat has to be more than 50% of the running time and it's a bonus if there are only a few characters. There aren't too many movies that fit this description, but at least enough to make a list of five good ones. 

Nr 5: Knife in the Water (Nóz w wodzie) (1962)

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Genre: Drama, Thriller

The first full-lenght film by Roman Polanski is a polish drama/thriller about a couple that invites a young hitchhiker to join them on their sailing trip. As you can understand, being a thriller, the sailing trip isn't completely troublefree. 
This is a quite slow movie, but it's also quite good. Or maybe that depends on what you're used to.

Nr 4: The African Queen (1951)

Directed by: John Huston
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Romance, (War)

This is a more fun and entertaining film and instead of being a drama or thriller, this is an adventure and a typical "love starts with fighting" romance film. 
Bogart plays a grumpy riverboat captain who loves his boat and gin, while Hepburn plays just the opposite: a proper well-educated missionary. It's WW1 and after the germans have burned down the mission and caused her brothers death, she want's revenge. Her plan is to attack a German warship. Most of the movie is about the trip along the river to reach the destination. It's a fun movie to watch.

Nr. 3: The Perfect Storm (2000)

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Genre: Action, (Adventure) 


I chose the perfect moment for watching this. It was storming outside, the windows rattled and apart from that I was in the mood of something simple to follow. So I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would. The movie is based on true events, where a fishing boat gets stuck in a storm far from coast. As often happens when a movie is based on true events, they make up a lot of stuff to make it more dramatic. So wait for the next storm and then watch this.

Nr. 2: Dead Calm (1989)

Director: Philip Noyce
Genre: Thriller


A great, effective thriller about a couple taking time off on a yacht after loosing their son in a car accident. Far out on the ocean they find a sinking boat with only one person alive and the rest dead. He claim they died of a disease, but did they? 

Nr 1: Jaws (1975)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Thriller, Horror


Okay, so this being my number one may not come as a surprise. It's a great thriller and a real classic. I Don't think I need to say anything about the plot. If you haven't seen it, just see it.






Other recommendations: Lifeboat (1944), Waterworld (1995)
These I haven't seen myself: The Old Man and the Sea (1958), Open Water 2: Adrift (2006), The Last of Sheila (1973), Kon-Tiki (1950)
Some time spent on a boat: Deliverance (1972), Apocalypse Now (1978)