The Finest Hours
Director: Craig Gillespie
Talent: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Eric Bana
Release Date: 19th February 2016
At first glance, this special effects driven maritime rescue action flick looks like pure guff, all CGI and no substance, but The Finest Hours makes a dedicated attempt to do far more than prove an empty IMAX spectacle. Rather, the film dedicates itself to actually telling a story (ostensibly a true one), rather than acting as a set up for fancy big-screen visuals.
The action itself is gorgeous, stirring stuff (delivered through some seriously stylish camera movement), but remains driven by high stakes that are established though character, rather than the scale or circumstances of the disaster. Perhaps the most endearing aspect is Chris Pine’s charmingly meek and square lifeguard, a world away from the typical though and cynical action lead of recent years.
In a way it’s a throwback to Hollywood of times past, when action movies could be about a simple honest rescue mission, with no grittiness in sight, and spectacle could co-exist with honest charm.
Words: Bernard O’Rourke
