'The Finest Hours' Review

The Finest Hours is based on true events and shares the tale of a United States Coast Guard rescue mission.

For the most part, The Finest Hours was a very solid film with great performances that creates a believable ocean environment thanks to proficient practical and visual effects. Unfortunately, The Finest Hours biggest fault is dull exposition that drags the first act of the film, but it all leads to the venturous rescue that puts the audience on the edge of their seat. The core rescue mission is the highlight of the film as tensions are high and the the stakes are believable.

The standout performances were most definitely Casey Affleck and Chris Pine. Affleck portrays Ray Sybert, the engineer aboard the oil tanker, and commits to his character's conflicted leadership role. I especially liked how the character was willing to commit to what was best for the crew despite how unpopular his viewpoint tended to be.

On the other side of the narrative, Chris Pine exhibited some versatility in the role of Bernie Webber, where he demonstrated some of his more serious acting, since the character is quite reserved yet daring at the same time making for a great protagonist with a golden heart. Alas, the remaining characters are static caricatures and the performances don't transcend their bland characters.

The Finest Hours is being heavily promoted a a 3-D experience but I saw the film in 2-D and felt it was just fine in the format and couldn't quite see very many advantages to a 3-D post conversion.

I can't quite recommend The Finest Hours as a theatrical experience, but it's certainly worth checking out on Blu-ray or as a rental. As I said earlier, The Finest Hours makes for a solid film with great performances and a pleasant combination of practical and visual effects for a gorgeous sea aesthetic that pays the due service to the real life rescue.

Film Assessment: C