The Finest Hours is a based-on-a-true-story action, drama film that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. The Finest Hours takes place in 1950’s Cape Cod, Massachusetts. One day during a horrific blizzard, the Coast Guard received a distress call from the SS Fort Mercer telling them that their ship split in half. They needed help immediately. Meanwhile, another ship called the SS Pendleton also split in half. Nobody knew about the other ship until a man saw it floating in the water near his home, so he went to the Coast Guard.
The commander, Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana), assigned a crew to go save the SS Pendleton. There were four people part of the group, Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), Richard Livesey (Ben Foster), Andy Fitzgerald (Andy Gallner), and Ervin Maske (John Magaro). The crew was sent out in one of the worst storm ever, risking their lives. On the SS Pendleton one crew member, Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck), realized the ship had split and took charge of the remaining crew. Ray tried to figure out how he’s going to steer the ship and keep it from sinking, so they can wait and hope for help.
Disney produced The Finest Hours, and it was directed by Craig Gillespie. He did an amazing job making the movie look like the 1950’s, taking the audience back in time. The clothes, hair styles, cars, boats and the buildings were right on point. The movie’s creators did a good job explaining what can happen when someone is out in the ocean trying to save a life. They also explain Coast Guard terms.
The movie makers also made the shipwreck look very realistic. When the SS Pendleton split in half the front of the ship’s lights black out, then it tipped up and sank into the ocean. This scene reminded me of the Titanic when the ship sank down. They did a good job with the CGI. The writers Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson made sure they had the 1950’s accents and slang to a tee. One of the things I liked a lot was when crew members sang songs, it brought the crew together because they sang when something bad was going to happen.
The Finest Hours came out on January 29, 2016 and is rated PG-13. It is also a book called The Finest Hours: The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. I recommend this movie to anyone one who likes history, true stories, and scenes that get your adrenaline flowing.
