Review: ‘The Finest Hours’ is a tension-filled adventure about real life heroism

Posted on February 5, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

Of the various branches of the U.S. armed forces, I probably know the least about the U.S. Coast Guard. I’d wager that’s probably true for most people out there.

So when I heard about the new movie, “The Finest Hours,” and how it was telling the true story of the Coast Guard’s most daring rescue in history, I was suitably intrigued. The trailers looked solid with a cast boasting Chris Pine (“Star Trek”), Casey Affleck (“Ocean’s 11”) and Eric Bana (“American Sniper”). But at the same time, I was burned recently by another based-on-a-true-story ocean adventure in “The Heart of the Sea,” which also had a good cast but ultimately delivered an underwhelming story and atrocious special effects.

If you were, like me, disappointed by that film, rest assured, because “The Finest Hours” delivers on its promise for a tension-filled at-sea rescue film. The acting is solid across the board, the story–for the most part at least–keeps the tension taut for most of film and the special effects hold up quite well indeed.

It’s not a perfect film, but it does do a great job telling a true story that I was totally unfamiliar with and, in doing so, makes me care about its characters and whether any of them will survive the ordeal.

“The Finest Hours” tries a little too hard to set up its romance side plot, but otherwise it is an enjoyable film that, once the action really kicks off, is able to build the tension to high levels even though we know this is a Disney production and the day will most likely end on a good note.

The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of peril.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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