Heroes. They’re the people that run toward the danger when everyone else is running away. It isn’t often that there are movies made about real heroes. I ‘m not talking about the feel good “athlete rises from poverty and becomes a star football player” kind of movie. I’m talking about REAL heroes. Police and criminals. Firefighters and burning buildings. The Coast Guard and sinking ships. Maybe the problem is that there are so many acts of heroism by these groups on a daily basis that they wouldn’t make a good Hollywood movie.
But sometimes Hollywood comes through and actually does them justice. And that brings us to The Finest Hours. Imagine you’re on a ship traveling through the North Atlantic in the middle of a storm that is near hurricane force. Your ship splits in two. Yeah, I’m serious. The front half of the ship sinks. But the back half (the stern) miraculously stays afloat with you and 32 other crew members. The only problem (other than imminent danger of sinking) is that the radio room is in the front half of the ship. So nobody knows about your dire situation. That is the case with the SS Pendleton in February 1952. While most of the Coast Guard in the North Atlantic is busy trying to rescue the crew of another ship that split in two, the SS Pendleton broke in half and they couldn’t tell anyone. When they are miraculously discovered, there is only one boat left to send out to them, a 36-foot wooden lifeboat CG 36500. The Finest Hours is the story of the near –suicide mission of this boat and its crew to rescue the remaining crew of the SS Pendleton. Considered by the Coast Guard to be the greatest small boat rescue in their history, this is a story that will keep you riveted.
THE FINEST HOURS is now showing in theaters everywhere!
A heroic action-thriller, “The Finest Hours” is the remarkable true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
Disney’s “The Finest Hours” is the unforgettable story of the Coast Guard’s courageous mission, which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars: Chris Pine; Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee Casey Affleck; Ben Foster; Holliday Grainger; John Ortiz; and Eric Bana. Produced by Jim Whitaker and Dorothy Aufiero, the screenplay is by Oscar® nominee Scott Silver and Oscar nominees Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. Doug Merrifield serves as executive producer. “The Finest Hours” storms into U.S. theaters on January 29, 2016 in Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D.
CONNECT WITH THE FINEST HOURS
Disclaimer: I am a Disney/Marvel Blogger. I received complimentary entry to a pre-screening of THE FINEST HOURS to facilitate this review. Regardless, all opinions expressed are 100% my own. Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.
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