In a distant future where the polar ice caps have melted and submerged the entire planet, a solitary mutant mariner fights for survival on the open ocean. His isolation is shattered when he reluctantly agrees to protect a woman and a young girl who possess a map to the mythical "Dryland," forcing him into a deadly conflict with a ruthless gang of pirates known as the Smokers.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
July 28, 1995 |
Running time |
135 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$175,000,000 |
Box Office |
$264,218,220 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
Kevin Reynolds |
Produced by |
Kevin Costner John Davis Charles Gordon |
Written by |
Peter Rader David Twohy |
Music by |
James Newton Howard |
Cinematography |
Dean Semler |
Edited by |
Peter Boyle |
Production Co. |
Universal Pictures Gordon Company Davis Entertainment |
Distributed by |
Universal Pictures |
Top Cast |
|
|
|
Official Trailer |
|
The Plot
The Drifter and the Secret of the Atoll
Centuries after the polar ice caps melted in the 21st century, the Earth has been transformed into a seamless, endless ocean. The remnants of human civilization have clung to survival on dilapidated floating communities known as atolls, having long forgotten the sensation of solid ground beneath their feet. Despite the reality of their water-bound existence, a persistent legend survives among the people: the myth of "Dryland," a place somewhere in the world that was not consumed by the rising tides.
Into this aquatic wasteland sails the Mariner, a solitary drifter navigating the seas on his advanced trimaran. He arrives at a heavily fortified atoll seeking to trade dirt—a commodity now rarer and more valuable than gold—for necessary supplies. However, the transaction turns hostile when the atoll's residents discover the Mariner's secret: he is a mutant, possessing functioning gills behind his ears and webbed feet. Viewing him as an aberration of nature, the fearful elders sentence him to death, casting him into a brine pool to drown.
The Smoker Raid and the Escape
Just as the Mariner’s execution is underway, chaos erupts. The atoll comes under heavy fire from the Smokers, a violent band of pirates who traverse the ocean on jet skis and scavenged motorboats. They are led by the Deacon, a ruthless and fanatical captain who is hunting for a young girl named Enola. The Deacon believes that a tattoo on Enola’s back is actually a coded map leading to the mythical Dryland.
Amidst the explosions and gunfire, Enola’s guardian, Helen, attempts a desperate escape. She tries to launch a gas balloon with the help of Gregor, an eccentric inventor, but the mechanism is released prematurely, leaving them stranded on the burning atoll. Seeing no other option, Helen frees the Mariner from his cage. She strikes a hard bargain: she will save his life if he agrees to take her and Enola with him. Reluctantly, the Mariner agrees. They narrowly escape the destruction of the atoll aboard his trimaran, fleeing into the open ocean with the Smokers in hot pursuit.
The Sunken City
Life aboard the trimaran is fraught with tension. The Mariner, accustomed to solitude, clashes with his passengers. Following a naive mistake by Helen that damages the boat during their escape from the pursuing Smokers, the Mariner angrily shears off her hair. The dynamic begins to shift, however, when Helen confronts him about his origins. She insists that humans once lived on land and demands to know where he scavenged his jar of dirt.
To prove the truth, the Mariner places Helen inside a makeshift diving bell and plunges her deep beneath the surface. As they descend into the abyss, the ruins of a massive, ancient city come into view, sprawling across the ocean floor. Helen stares in awe at the submerged skyscrapers and streets, finally receiving undeniable proof that her beliefs about the past were true. The Mariner shows her the seabed, confirming that the dirt he trades is dredged from the remains of the old world.
The Capture and the Destruction of the Trimaran
When they resurface, the moment of wonder is shattered. The Smokers have tracked them down, surrounding the trimaran. The pirates threaten to execute them unless they surrender Enola, who is hiding below deck. In a split-second decision, the Mariner grabs Helen and dives off the boat, pulling her underwater to avoid capture. Unable to hold her breath for long, Helen begins to drown, but the Mariner uses his mutation to his advantage, breathing for her and sharing his oxygen in an underwater kiss that keeps her alive.
While they are submerged, the Smokers ransack the boat, capture Enola, and set the trimaran ablaze. When the Mariner and Helen finally surface, they find their vessel destroyed and the child gone. All seems lost until Gregor, who had been tracking them in his balloon, manages to locate them. He rescues the pair, taking them to a new, makeshift atoll formed by the survivors of the initial attack.
Assault on the Exxon Valdez
Refusing to abandon Enola, the Mariner commandeers a captured Smoker jet ski and sets off to infiltrate the enemy's base alone. He tracks them to the rusty hulk of the Exxon Valdez, the ancient oil tanker that serves as the Smokers' mobile fortress. Inside, he witnesses the grim reality of the Smoker society, where hundreds of men row in the bowels of the ship to propel it forward.
The Mariner confronts the Deacon on the deck, issuing an ultimatum: return the girl, or he will ignite the remaining reserves of oil within the tanker. The Deacon, arrogant and believing the Mariner wouldn't dare sacrifice himself, calls the bluff. To the Deacon's horror, the Mariner drops a lit flare into the oil vent. The ship is instantly rocked by massive explosions, and the lower decks are engulfed in flames, beginning the tanker's slow descent into the ocean.
The Aerial Rescue
As chaos consumes the Exxon Valdez, the Mariner fights his way to Enola, grabbing a rope lowered from Gregor’s balloon, which has arrived just in time. As the Mariner hoists Enola toward Helen in the basket, the Deacon makes a final, desperate move. He grabs the rope, attempting to climb up and escape his sinking ship. In the struggle, the Deacon fires his weapon, shaking the rope violently. Enola loses her grip and falls from the safety of the balloon, plummeting back toward the churning waters.
The Mariner reacts instantly. He ties the rope around his ankles and performs a reckless, impromptu bungee jump from the basket. He dives toward the water, snatching Enola just before she hits the surface. Meanwhile, the Deacon and his men on jet skis converge to intercept them. The Mariner is pulled back up by the balloon's lift, swinging Enola to safety. The Deacon's path collides with his own men in the confusion, and they are consumed by the fiery explosion of the sinking ship, ending his reign of terror.
Discovery of Dryland
With the map secured, Gregor finally deduces the secret of the tattoo on Enola’s back: the coordinates were reversed. Guided by this revelation, the balloon, followed by the flotilla of atoll survivors, travels to the specified location. Breaking through the mist, they discover the impossible: Dryland. It is not a myth, but the lush, green peak of Mount Everest, now an island in the global ocean, teeming with vegetation and fresh water.
The survivors come ashore, finding a crude hut that contains the skeletal remains of Enola's parents, confirming this was her true home. As the community begins to settle and build a new life on the solid ground, the Mariner realizes he does not belong here. The land feels alien to his mutated physiology, and the call of the ocean is too strong. He builds a new sailboat and, after a silent farewell, departs back into the endless blue, leaving Helen and Enola behind to thrive on Dryland.
