It’s easy to be wary of The Finest Hours – it gives off the whiff of an earnest, manipulative, straight-arrow film, the likes of which could only be released by Disney. It is all those things, but if you’re willing to hold your cynicism at bay, it’s also an often stirring, highly enjoyable tale of courage in the face of insurmountable odds.
I think I’m a little more susceptible to stories of seafaring derring-do than most. It would help explain why I was so off base with general opinion on In The Heart of the Sea and, to a lesser extent, the Point Break remake.
The Finest Hours spoke directly to this susceptibility, and I had a grand old time watching it. There is a weighty tactility and sense of scale in the split-oil tanker scenes that wasn’t present in either The Perfect Storm or Titanic.
Chris Pine is a decent, stoic lead, although English actor Holliday Grainger (The Riot Club) steals the show as his fiancée. As the oil tanker’s engineer, Casey Affleck projects the kind of wistfulness than only a hardened seaman can muster. And again, it works.
The convincingly-rendered period aesthetic deepened the sense of immersion in the film, and there’s a raft of talent in the supporting roles. If the idea of this film is remotely appealing, I urge you to give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.
Turns out the Coast Guard aren’t just there to police the police after all.
‘The Finest Hours’ Movie Times | 3D Movie Times
Other Seafaring Films To Check Out: Captain Phillips, Haemoo, Kon-Tiki
