​FILMS

the finest hours

It's fine if you can ignore the cheesy, romantic subplot.

2016 review number 41:

The Finest Hours: (Drama/Action): 70 out of 100: The ads have finally finished. You brace yourself for a disaster epic. If not for knowing who Chris Pine is, you'd be wondering if you were in the correct cinema. The first 10-15 minutes establishes Pine's character and his relationship with his partner. It comes across more as a romantic drama than anything you've seen in the trailer and movie poster. That's definitely taking character development to extremes. In this instance, more like unnecessary padding. Get on with it! When the story finally focuses on the oil tanker that runs aground and subsequent rescue efforts, that's when you know you're seeing the right movie. 

 

Based on a true story, The Finest Hours is about an oil tanker that breaks apart during a ferocious storm off the Massachusetts' coast in 1952. On board are 34 crewmen including Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) and Frank Fauteux (Graham McTavish). The commander of the coast guards, Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana), sends four of his team to rescue them. The four coast guard rescuers are Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), Richard Livesey (Ben Foster), Andy Fitzgerald (Kyle Gallner), and Ervin Maske (John Magaro). Meanwhile Bernie's fiancée, Miriam (Holliday Grainger), pleads with Cluff to terminate the mission. Will she see Bernie alive again? 

 

Pine and Affleck make convincing heroes. The determination of their characters is etched on their faces. The expression they use in both gestures and dialogue signify the resolve they have to succeed in their respective missions. Another standout is Bana who portrays the unsympathetic commander with panache. Grainger has a bigger role than is necessary as the fiancee who yearns for her man's safe return. 

 

For a disaster film to succeed, it helps if there are exemplary sound and visual effects. Every creak of the boat and crash of the waves can be heard, reverberating in the cinema. The visuals project the danger the men faced and succeed in generating tension, although there is some CGI employed that is noticeable on occasions. 

 

Carter Burwell is at the helm of the score and creates the right amounts of tension to complement the visuals, although the music is loud and overwrought at times. The cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe beautifully captures the wild conditions of the sea. It's during these scenes that the superior editing comes to the fore.  

 

The Finest Hours is a thrilling ride for viewers who like this type of film. It might not be the finest example of its genre, but sure is more entertaining than some of the tripe that Hollywood has produced in recent years. 

 

Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster and Eric Bana

(117 mins)

Parental advice: Disaster themes

Additional scene during or after credits: Yes, during the credits there are photos of the real life characters who were portrayed by the actors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQmllwTKtqU (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Sunday 6th March, 2016)

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