The Finest Hours

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, Kyle Gallner, John Magaro, Graham McTavish, Michael Raymond-James, Beau Knapp, Josh Stewart
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:The Coast Guard attempts to make a daring rescue after an oil tanker breaks apart off the Massachusetts coast in 1952.

Review:

Tim: The Finest Hours is a perfectly acceptable ocean rescue film. It tells the story of the one of the more daring rescues in Coast Guard history. It features interesting characters and exciting sequences. The movie didn't do enough to really make it a memorable affair. The film wasn't as thrilling as it needed to be. It was fine, but it's not quite a good movie. I wanted more out of it.

Parts of the story were a little on-the-nose. I appreciated that we spent so much time on character development in the beginning. That is essential. I actually felt like the film spent too much time on the front end- it started to drag a little and I was anxious for the action to get going. Still, it was a positive that we got to know the characters. The problem is that the characters weren't quite as impressive as needed. Chris Pine is good in the lead role, but his character is so obvious. He's a stern rule follower. It's not much of a leap to guess that by the end of the film, he's going to need to break some rules. That's his big character arc, and it's so in-your-face that it loses any effectiveness. That's an effective narrative arc for a character, but it needed to be treated with more subtlety. Casey Affleck's character gets off a little better. He's not well liked, but he rises to the occasion with ingenuity to try and save the crew. His performance is solid and I enjoyed the scenes with him.

Ben Foster was good in a too-small role. I was impressed by the weight he put on for the role. I wish he had more to do than just glance sideways at Pine. His talent wasn't utilized here. I like Eric Bana, but I'm not sure why he played this thankless, periphery role. Anyone could have been plugged in there. Like Foster, Bana's talent is wasted. Holliday Grainger was fine, but she didn't do anything to impress me.

It felt like The Finest Hours needed a bigger budget. Many of the ocean sequences felt obviously computer generated. It took me out of the movie some. In a film like this, visuals are important. That was a bit of a letdown. There were also some obvious Hollywood inventions, which detracted from the film. the car lights thing caused me to just roll my eyes in exasperation. The script had some strong moments, but it was sunk by too many cliched, generic aspects.

While there are some obvious complaints, the movie does tell a true story of heroism in the Coast Guard. I'd never heard of the sinking of the SS Pendleton, nor of the Coast Guard's rescue attempt. For that reason, I'm glad this movie was made- it was enlightening to learn about it. I genuinely enjoy movies about humans verses nature, and survival stories at sea are always an exciting lot. I did enjoy this movie, even though its flaws prevent it from reaching its full potential. The Finest Hours is at least a decent entry into the survival-at-sea subgenre, so it's not a total loss. I just wish the movie was better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Perfect Storm, U-571, Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, Life of Pi, Unbroken