Review of The Finest Hours (2016) by Patrick L — 07 May 2016

"It does what it sets out to do but ultimately it is far from a remarkable tale".

Movie Review: The Finest Hours.

Date Viewed: January 30 2016.

Directed By Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, Million Dollar Arm and Fright Night).

Screenplay By Eric Johnson, Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy, Based on the novel by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman.

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, John Ortiz, Holliday Grainger, Josh Stewart, Graham McTavish, Kyle Gallner and Eric Bana.

Here we go again guys, we are lost at sea. First Ron Howard's underwhelming whale epic "In the Heart of the Sea" and now we have "The Finest Hours", a rescue-at-sea drama that has good intentions but the outcome is completely predictable. The movie is based on the true story of the 1952 U.S. Coast Guard rescue of the SS Pendleton. The big oil tanker was split apart by a nor'Easter storm and it was up to four Coast Guard sailors who risked their lives to rescue the surviving crew members. "The Finest Hours" does what it sets out to do but ultimately it is far from a remarkable tale.

After the SS Pendleton splits apart off the coast of New England, Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) urges his fellow crew members to do whatever they can to keep the ship afloat as long as possible. Some of the sailors want to get out on lifeboats but Sybert cuts them loose from the ship and the boats immediately get crushed by the big oil tanker due to the mighty waves. On their way to rescue them is Massachusetts crewman Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), he plans to get married to Miriam Pentinen (Holliday Grainger) but first, he has to seek permission from the station's commander (Eric Bana). However, on the same day, Bernie gets assigned to a daring rescue operation to find the SS Pendleton and rescue surviving crew members.

Bernie takes three young sailors as his rescue crew, Seamen Ervin Maske (John Magaro) and Richard Livesey (Ben Foster) and Engineman Andrew Fitzgerald (Kyle Gallner). Along the way, they lose their compass and they stuck in treacherous weather. When they finally reach the oil tanker, they find 32 crew members on the stricken vessel. Despite the fact their lifeboat is only designed to only carry 12 people, Bernie and his rescue team manage to rescue all 32 sailors.

The storm sequences are incredible but the story is not, "The Finest Hours" is another retread of "The Perfect Storm". The acting is okay but I wish the writing was more sharper.

Director Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, Fright Night, Million Dollar Arm) has made his movie so bleak and arbitrary, it's really hard to get involved in this story.

Don't get me wrong, this noble story can be told well but "The Finest Hours" is not that movie.