The Finest Hours

A rousing tale of sacrifice, ingenuity and heroism.

The Coast Guard gets its big-screen opportunity with The Finest Hours. Its great effects work well to accompany some solid performances.

This is a by-the-book disaster-rescue saga with elevated moments of drama. The ocean scenes leave you feeling a little bit seasick, but in awe of the bravery of these men.

This is old-fashioned, corny filmmaking, with all of the emotional beats and crescendos you would expect.

The incident on which Craig Gillespie's film is based may have marked the titular finest hour for the historical personages depicted, but everyone involved in this production will make more thrilling pictures than this one.

It's as ruggedly constructed and guilelessly entertaining as its leading man, Chris Pine.

This is a far superior film to something like The Perfect Storm… yes Craig Gillespie has somehow managed to create a classy disaster flick that demands a viewing by serious film lovers.

Subdued from the Ahab archetypes of most maritime characters, Pine and Affleck are not completely bland, but neither offers much inspiration or entertaining gravity, two aspects woefully missing from the film as a whole.

Its all very familiar and unremarkable filmmaking for an otherwise remarkable story.

It's not going to surprise you with any plot twists, but The Finest Hours is by far one of the most exciting disaster movie so far this year.