Checked out the new Coast Guard rescue film The Finest Hours starring Chris Pine, Kasey Affleck, and a well-cast Holliday Granger (who didn’t have much to do in the movie besides be the worried gal-on-land-waiting-for-her-sailor-to-come-home but what she does, she does well). Set in 1952, this is the true story of what is considered the finest (small craft) coast guard rescue in history: during a blizzard, an oil tanker splits in half and only a small crew of sailors on an even smaller boat has to go out and rescue the survivors.
It’s a fairly good film. It takes its time to actually get out on the water and the first 20 minutes or so has a surprising amount of the awkward romance between Chris Pine and Holliday Granger (got to add heart to the will-he-survive story). Chris Pines plays a downbeat, hangdog kind of guy who probably could use a little of that Captain Kirk verve but I give him credit for playing a role well. Kasey Affleck is the smartest survivor on the shipwreck and a number of other fine character actors do a good job as well.
This is a fine movie. What it does, it does well and it looks really good doing it. Nice 50s vibe, good casting (especially Granger who nails the 50s thing), and some solid FX work and focus on scale (it’s a really big ship and even bigger waves). Not sure I’d rush out to see it, but if you do, it’s compelling enough even if you can probably guess how it ends (it’s not called The Darkest Hours, after all).
Score: 81