The Finest Hours (2016)

Director: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster

The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.

All the characters seemed incompetent and self-centered, and the actors acted lazily. There wasn’t much enthusiasm here. Is it just me, or did everything and everyone seem to move in slow motion? In any rescue mission time is of the essence, and I didn’t feel that urgency – not from the pacing or the music. Yes, even the music seemed bland. The film really moved along at a dreary pace. Also, for anyone familiar with the story, they would have known how it was going to end anyway, so there are no surprises.

During the storm, the waves were inconsistent. At times there were huge swells and then suddenly close-ups on actors revealed there were hardly any motion. The actors just didn’t blend with their surroundings, rendering it unbelievable.

Its still a heroic tale, though, and I did enjoy the film’s final 35 minutes, and loved the ending.