The Finest Hours
The Finest Hoursis a respectful dramatization of the real-life events that inspired it, but is too by the numbers to leave a strong impression.
The Finest Hourslargely hold position in February of 1952 off the sea-coast of Massachusetts , where a massive winter storm causes not just one , buttwooil tankers - theSS Fort MercerandSS Pendleton- to break in half , leaving their crew to the mercy of the frustrate sea . While thePendleton ’s crew , include the first helper railroad engineer Ray Sybert ( Casey Affleck ) struggle to keep their remaining one-half of the ship afloat , they face an even bigger problem : most of the useable Coast Guard ’s forces have already been deploy to help theMercer ’s crew and they wo n’t be able to reach thePendletonin clip to rescue its survivor before they lose power and are swallowed by the ocean .
ThePendleton ’s only promise lies with a minor lifeboat manned by Station Chatham Coast Guard phallus Bernie Webber ( Chris Pine ) and his crew , who match to undertake what their peers hold is an all - but hopeless effort : brave the freezing temperatures and 70 - invertebrate foot waving of the ocean tempest and rescue the thirty - something human being ensnare on thePendleton , bringing them in safely to land . With fourth dimension not on their side , Bernie and his three - man squad head out to ocean , ascertain to see their line done - while Bernie ’s bride-to-be Miriam ( Holliday Grainger ) does everything in her power to assist with the drive and make certain her succeeding husband returns safely , back in Chatham .
inhale by real - life events as they were depicted in Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tourgias ' 2009 non - fiction book " The Finest Hours : The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard ’s Most Daring Sea Rescue",The Finest Hoursis an unabashed throwback to an old - fashioned storytelling access to stories of courageousness and honor - one that was in style in Hollywood around the time of the cinema ’s events in the fifties , as it were . AlthoughThe Finest Hoursavoids coming off as kitschy or soupy with its approach , the plastic film nonetheless relies hard on inspirational dependable account narration conventions and fails to make the tropes of its classic storytelling form feel fresh or imaginative . The Finest Hours ' love story subplot with Chris Pine ( Star Trek ) and Holliday Grainger ’s ( Cinderella ) case is evenly good - natured as the rest period of the movie , but too thinly drawn to resonate in the manner specify .
The Fighterscreenwriters Eric Johnson , Scott Silver and Paul Tamsay pen the adapted hand forThe Finest hour , but the latter lacks the racy word picture and energy that elevate David O. Russell ’s ( very dissimilar ) dead on target tale - based film above its own musical style cliches . To be comely , The Finest Hourscertainly has qualities suitable of admiration , such as the commendable performances from its ensemble cast and admirable craft alike ( more on that shortly ) ; job is , for a movie that ’s free-base on the " Most Daring Sea Rescue " that was performed by the U.S. Coast Guard in chronicle , The Finest Hoursis far less singular than the real - world event and people that inspired it .
Director Craig Gillespie has proven himself adequate to of crafting both passable true story - inspired Disney films ( Million Dollar Arm ) and 3D motion-picture show likewise in the past tense ( Fright Night ) , and he once again reaches the cake in both respects onThe Finest Hours . The film come to spirit the most during the chronological sequence that are arrange aboard either theSS Pendletonor Webber ’s lifeboat , as say intimidate wintertime tempest is efficaciously recreate through a combination of practical effect and CGI on the whole - though , sure scene ( in special , those that take place on land ) are less unlined , when it get to how they blend literal Seth and localisation with digital backdrop . Overall , though , The Finest Hoursworks as a story of humans battling the natural elements that should n’t betoointense for younger moviegoers ( it ’s a " soft " PG-13 picture show ) - but may not pack as much of a lick for previous filmgoers who ’ve seen this case of adventure tale done before ( and better ) on the big screen .
Gillespie and his his production team - includingFright Nightcinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe - also draw from an unsaturated color palette and use various ocular techniques ( see : immersive camera shots , constant rain and/or snow ) to further imbue the audience with the chilling standard pressure of the film ’s scene . The Finest Hoursisn’t a must - see in theaters , but those whodocheck it out might as well yield the mellow slate price for a 3D screening and get the full viewing experience ( where it concerns the moving-picture show ’s spectacle and action sequence , anyway ) , for these reasons . That said , those who are n’t fans of 3D as a worldwide rule will not losetoomuch by instead watchingThe Finest Hoursin 2D , either .
Chris Pine and Casey Affleck share protagonist duties inThe Finest Hours- and though Bernie Webber and Ray Sybert in the movie are both portrayed as different variation on the reluctant hero type ( with familiar character arcs too ) , the actors behind them do o.k. workplace in those persona . Similarly , the various members of the Coast Guard - including Eric Bana ( Star Trek ) as by - the - book of account Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff and Ben Foster ( Lone Survivor ) as hardened Seaman Richard Livesey - are not developed beyond being recognizable two - dimensional " types " ; nor are the members of the Pendleton ’s crew like Graham McTavish ( The Hobbit ) as stager mate Frank Fauteux , despite the good performances by the role player behind them . The Finest Hoursdoes make a valorous exertion to give Holliday Grainger as Miriam a comforting storyline , but a lump of her own plot thread ends up feeling like much ado about nothing .
The short of it?The Finest Hoursis a venerating dramatization of the existent - life events that inspire it , but is too by the numbers to allow a strong impression . The motion-picture show ’s homage to honest-to-goodness - fashioned Hollywood narrative of human race proving their worth in the face of insurmountable odds is well - intentioned , but only sporadically comes to spirit - more often thanks to the 3D spectacle and elements of the film , rather than its story or characters . The Finest Hoursdoes a near enough job of tell a worthwhile news report about everyday acts of heroism to take in the movie a crack , but the real life " U.S. Coast Guard ’s Most Daring Sea Rescue ” was no doubt more telling ( and daring ) that the prominent screen version .
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The Finest Hoursis now playing in U.S. theaters in the 2D , 3D and IMAX 3D format . It is 117 min long and is Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of risk .
Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below .
Based on the substantial - life rescue of the bunch of the SS Pendleton in 1952 , The fine Hours sensation Chris Pine as Bernie Webber , a member of the coast safeguard in Chatman , Massachusetts who is dispatched during a nor’easter to rescue the Pendleton work party after the ship splits in one-half due to the harsh seas . Bernie and his gang brave astronomical odds to ordinate to bring the Pendleton crew dwelling house . Casey Affleck , Holliday Grainger , and Eric Bana also star .
Eric Bana, Chris Pine and Kyle Gallner in The Finest Hours
Eric Bana, Chris Pine and Kyle Gallner in The Finest Hours
