EXTREME SURFING IN `GOD'S HANDS'.

Byline: David Chute Hollywood Reporter

The hero of the surfing saga ``In God's Hands'' is called Shane, after the movie icon portrayed by Alan Ladd. The movie wants to make a case for the mythic stature of globe-trotting ``extreme'' surfers, who test themselves exclusively against waves in the 30-to-50-foot range - waves the size of Godzilla.

The performers here are real-life surf champions, so the frame can shift from long shot to close-up without a cut. There are no trick shots inside the curl - and none are called for.

The surfing footage in ``God's Hands'' is world class. It's the scenes with the characters off their boards that drag us under.

Board wizards Patrick Shane Dorian, Matty Liu and Matt George portray lifelong pals who surf-bum around the globe looking for the waves only a true fanatic would dare confront. There are scenes of hell-raising and jail time in Madagascar, an idyllic interlude in Indonesia, some training sequences, and then some apocalyptic wave riding.

This is a pretty puny excuse for a story; in place of actual dramatic conflicts, we get an array of ``issues.''

The best and most ebullient performer of the bunch is George, a writer for Surfing magazine who co-wrote the script with director Zalman King, our leading purveyor of kitsch erotica. (Remember Mickey Rourke's shoe-polish tan in King's ``Wild Orchid''?) George plays Mickey, the oldest and the most thoughtful of the three buds. His issue of honor is whether the use of Jet Skis defiles the purity of the sport, arguing that the only proper way to surf big waves, or any waves, is to ``paddle in.''

It's implied that Mickey rejects technological assists because he's feeling his age and fears he just can't cut it anymore. He wants to meet a challenge that even the youngsters shy away from.

Although he's a hooded, inexpressive performer, the movie's nominal star, Dorian, is a truly awe-inspiring athlete. Training obsessively with the unbreakable focus of a young kung fu master, then riding the steepest surf with an easy, loose-limbed stance, he really does exhibit the no-sweat grace of a classic American male icon - although Gary Cooper might be a better match than Ladd.

All of the awed whispering about Shane in the dramatic scenes and in the voice-over narration by Shaun Tomson (a surfer who plays a hero-worshiping journalist and surfboard guru), actually seems to undercut what's astonishing about him: He's an ordinary, likable American kid who transcends himself, and common humanity, only in this one limited area. The mystery of that juxtaposition is more intriguing than all the other guff we're offered in ``God's Hands.''

It's only when they're shooting waves that King and George have the sense to leave well enough alone. While the surf scenes are shot simply - in long takes and without punchy cutting - the shoreside scenes are hyped to the max, with wall-to-wall pulsating ``world music'' and frames crammed with garishly decorated native extras.

The filmmakers' instincts are valid in one respect: Of all the elements in ``God's Hands,'' only the ocean truly speaks for itself. It needs no hype, no mystical inflation. In the end, it's the waves, not the riders, that take on authentic mythic stature.

THE FACTS

The film: ``In God's Hands'' (PG-13; brief strong language).

The stars: Patrick Shane Dorian, Matt George, Matty Liu, Maylin Pultar, Shaun Tomson, Brion James.

Behind the scenes: Written by Zalman King and Matt George.

Running time: One hour, 32 minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two and One Half Stars.

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Photo

Photo: ``In God's Hands'' follows three buddies who chase after the world's biggest waves.