Dir: Craig Gillespie
By Alex Watson
If you are looking for a middle of the road rescue thriller then The Finest Hours may just be the picture you are looking. This picture is a solid effort from director Craig Gillespie that offers some decent thrills to mask its lack of depth. The efforts of four men to save dozens in a little known but frankly remarkable rescue make for a great subject, it's just a shame it's in the wrong hands. Although it entertains well, this picture will be unlikely to stick in your mind after the credits roll.
Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) is a member of the Coast Guard in Chatham, Massachusetts but he is soon brought into an event that could have fateful consequences. The oil tanker 'The Pendleton' has been split into two in the rough ocean and the surviving crew led by Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) are clinging on for dear life. Despite feeling a reluctance, Bernie along with other crewmen Richard Livesey (Ben Foster), Anthony Fitzgerald (Kyle Gallner) and unprepared Seaman Ervin Maske (John Magaro) go forward into the great unknown.
The need for survival is one aspect that is made obvious in The Finest Hours and smartly Gillespie opts to keep his heroes low key. Bernie is an ordinary and slightly nervous guy who is set to marry his sweetheart Miriam (Holliday Granger) but by Coast Guard Regulations he has to ask permission. Sadly although we like the guys in the boat, we never properly get to know them. There is a talk of a failed rescue mission that put strains on several community members but full details are never really disclosed. Likewise with the men of the Pendleton, Sybert and co fit the usual ship stereotypes with the unsocial leader and the gruff and tough veteran (Graham McTavish). Gillespie fails to understand that to connect with a drama like this we need to our crew.
After a lot of back and forth huffing by commander Cluff (Eric Bana), the crew is sent out into hell, despite the locals assurance that they will not return due to the harsh conditions. The men's bravery is something to admire and as Bernie denotes "They say you have to go out, they don't say you gotta come back!" Gillespie invests too much of the movie back on land watching the men spout their nautical speak when the picture is crying for something larger. The men of Pendleton, however, have an equally bleak task of keeping a heavy ship from sinking below. Gillespie's enthusiastic camera work glides through the different layers of the ship and we get the sense that time is being borrowed.
At sea is where The Finest Hours feels most comfortable and the action here gives events a real spark. Heading into choppy waves and surrounded by 60 MPH winds, the task seems impossible but through the excellent cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe, it gives sufficient thrills. Their tiny boat battles continuous rolling waves while the Pendleton struggles to keep their heavy wreck afloat. Even though they keep getting told to give up, Bernie and co show a strength that is heartwarming. It seems incredible that a 36-foot boat was able to achieve such a task when on other days it could have perished. Gillespie keeps us well entertained but this kind of heroism deserves more fitting treatment.
Chris Pine again proves to be a capable and likeable lead as Bernie Webber, although this time he is free of the cocky heroism we have to expect from him. Playing his character as a troubled but coping sailor, Pine is able to stamp his characters authority when most needed. Though this role doesn't feel like one that tests his ability. As the emotionally vacant Sybert, Casey Affleck is by far the standout performer. Unattached from his crew because he needs to act not argue, Ray resorts to erratic measures to assure safety for his men and through Affleck he feels most believable lead of the bunch.
Craig Gillespie does a solid job on The Finest Hours but unfortunately, he is unable to raise this past being the standard Disney thriller. In places, this story entertains but it is not one of the memorable efforts you will see in 2016.
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