Finest Hours, The (2016) [Blu-ray]
Action | Drama | History | Thriller

Tagline: Based on the incredible true story

Based on the extraordinary trust story of the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history, The Finest Hours is a tale of courage, loyalty and honor in the face of overwhelming odds. When a massive storm strikes off the coast of Cape Cod, it rips a T-2 oil tanker in half, trapping more than 30 sailors on its rapidly sinking stern. As Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) and his crew set out in a 12-seat rescue boat to save them, Chief Engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) struggles to buy his men more time. Packed with heroic larger-than-life action and driven by the men's faith in their mission, themselves and one another, The Finest Hours is a triumph.

Storyline: In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the Coast Guard set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly-sinking vessel. Written by Walt Disney Studios Publicity

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, May 21, 2016 The Finest Hours recreates what is still today considered "the greatest small boat rescue" the U.S. Coast Guard has ever conducted. It tells the story of Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), a young man who, in 1952, led a four-man team on a mission to rescue dozens of seamen trapped on board a disabled and sinking tanker and with only hours left to live in raging waters and frigid temperatures. The film also tells the story of the crew's fight for survival against practically insurmountable odds. While The Finest Hours doesn't take any real risks, it also doesn't take anything for granted. It's a solid human interest story wrapped around a rough-edged, action-oriented depiction of the best man has against the worst mother nature can deliver. The movie is all heart and soul, its straightforward narrative and unremarkable characterization balanced by tangible emotion and a rousing spirit that dominates even the movie's cruder details and perilous effects.

Bernie Weber (Chris Pine) is in love. He's infatuated with the lovely Miriam (Holliday Grainger), a telephone operator. He's also in the Coast Guard, stationed in the small coastal Massachusetts town of Chatham. A severe storm has rolled in, and he's ordered by his station commander (Eric Bana) to take a crew out to sea and rescue any survivors from a tanker that has split in half. The mission interrupts his plans to follow tradition and ask his commander for permission to marry his girl. As he and his crew brave nearly unnavigable waters on the way to the tanker, survivors, led by ship's engineer Ray Syber (Casey Affleck), struggle to stay alive. They have only hours before the pumps give out and what's left the ship goes under. Meanwhile, Miriam frets over her man's fate and clashes with his commanding officer whom she believes is needlessly endangering Bernie's life on a suicide mission with no chance of success.

The Finest Hours molds itself in a tradition-laden structure. The movie would feel at home in any era, some of its more convincing visual effects notwithstanding. It's simple nearly to a fault, but that simplicity ensures a tighter focus on the narrative and character-driven drama and less on the support details, like the special effects, that shape the landscape and drive the plot but hardly dominate the film, despite being front-and-center for practically the duration. The movie's drive and spirit are defined by just that, the human condition and man's ability, and willingness, to rise to the challenge against the odds. Director Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) manages to maintain the approach even when thunderous sounds and terrifying visuals -- raging waters, broken ships, flooding compartments -- otherwise dominate the screen. The film manages to scrape by any potential problems that could and do result, including underwhelming characterization, a recycled romantic interest subplot, and predictability by keeping the focus more on the intangibles that make the story of interest, and have kept it of interest all these decades removed from the real event. There's nothing really new here, but the movie goes about its business with commendable focus and determination to tell its story as narratively simple and visually accurate as possible.

Even as The Finest Hours is more about its intangibles -- heart, determination, the human condition -- and less its support pieces, the film pays attention to its details, ensuring a more complete and convincing experience. Though more than a few effects shots, particularly as Bernie and his crew search out the tanker on the 36500, are not as seamless as one might hope -- the green screen effect is pretty obvious -- the larger scale elements are wondrous. Deadly, but wondrous. Walls of water, tidal waves, and the broken tanker are all immensely impressive. The movie's more involved digital effects are magnificent. Water practically spills into the stage, and even on sets, such as down in the tanker's depths where the men must battle not only the flooding waters and mechanical troubles but their own fears and disagreements about how to best survive the situation, are richly realized, seemingly, down to the last bolt, bulkhead, and button. The movie does teeter on trouble with less than complexly drawn characters, and the resultant performances can be a little flat and stiff, but as the movie focuses more on what's inside than outside, it can get away with rather flat arcs that don't get lost in the shuffle but that only really serve to drive the greater narrative of human excellence and endurance under pressure.

The Finest Hours is a rock-solid motion picture, a simple, classically styled story of the human spirit against the odds. It's not at all unique, but it accomplishes much by focusing on intangibles rather than spectacle, even as there's no shortage of awe-inspiring visuals throughout. Disney's Blu-ray is rather strong, yielding expert video and reference audio. Supplements are a bit thin beyond its primary featurette, but offer up just enough supportive value to keep the the extras section afloat. Recommended.

[CSW] -2.8- I usually find films based a true story to be somehow lacking in the in depth storytelling of fiction, but this one was slightly different. Although very slow at times and lacking in any real in depth character development, the action, tenacity, and heroism pulled it up by its bootstraps. It was exciting to watch and makes you believe in and be grateful for those who risk their lives in doing their job to save others. The story itself is fascinating and worthy of watching but without the character development the actors tended to come off as actors and not the characters they were portraying.
[V4.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10.


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