<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Craig Gillespie. Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Holliday Grainger, Ben Foster, Eric Bana

Running Time: 1 hour 57 minutes

I have no idea why this film is called The Finest Hours. It was actually quite a dull two hours to sit through.

Based on a true story, which was probably a lot more interesting than the ‘adaptation’ chosen by Disney to display, The Finest Hours is a film about a tanker split in two and floundering at sea. It’s about the valiant struggle of the men on board and the Coast Guard men who set out to save her in the midst of a blizzard and storm.

Set in 1952 it gives you an adequate feel of the era but engages in a love story to make the events on land a bit more interesting. Unfortunately, that romance fails to ignite any spark between the characters or in the hearts of the audience. There is more chemistry between the men who set out on their mission.

Talented Chris Pine plays the skipper who must lead three men in a very small rescue boat out into the unrelenting ocean, which they can barely surmount. On land, his love played by the pretty doll Holliday Grainger insists that the commanding officer call him back. But that’s their job.

Apart from the CGI waves and stormy soundtrack there’s nothing much that rivets you to the goings-on. In fact, most of the times you can’t even tell the actors are suffering through any kind of cold or being dunked by 100-foot waves.

And at the end when the cars from the town proceed to the pier to beckon the rescue boat home you wonder and wonder and then when the love interest turns her lights on you wonder some more at the stupidity of the people who you thought were going to use their cars for better things than just to sit in at the pier while the rescuers searched frantically for land! When you see the film you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

The happenings on board the tanker with Casey Affleck valiantly trying to keep the boat afloat are far more engaging than the rescue attempt. But even that falls through with his character not being given much to say.

The Finest Hours is a film that is so bland and formula that it can barely be saved even by the heroic attempts of Captain Kirk (Chris Pine’s Star Trek avatar).