The Finest Hours (2016)
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A Coast Guard crewman must risk his life in a perilous sea rescue during a violent nor'easter to save a sinking tanker's crew.
The story
In February 1952, Coast Guard crewman Bernie Webber plans to marry a local woman, Miriam Penttinen, but his plans are interrupted when an oil tanker shears in half off the Chatham coast during a severe nor'easter. Bernie is dispatched to pilot a motor lifeboat to rescue the crew of the sinking vessel. Despite the dangerous conditions and the fact that the rescue is considered a suicide mission, Bernie and three volunteers head into the storm. While the station's commanding officer, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff, faces scrutiny from the townspeople, Bernie must navigate treacherous shoals and heavy waves to reach the stricken tanker.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In February 1952, Coast Guard crewman Bernie Webber is preparing to marry Miriam Penttinen in Chatham, Massachusetts. His plans are halted when the oil tanker Pendleton splits in half during a nor'easter. Bernie is assigned to pilot motor lifeboat CG 36500 to rescue the crew, joined by volunteers Andrew Fitzgerald, Ervin Maske, and Richard P. Livesey. Meanwhile, the tanker's engineer, Ray Sybert, organizes the survivors to steer the stern onto a submerged reef. Miriam, fearing for Bernie's life, confronts the station's commanding officer, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff, who refuses to recall him. Bernie successfully navigates the dangerous shoals and rescues 32 crew members, exceeding his boat's capacity. After the stern sinks, Bernie must navigate home without a compass, relying on his knowledge of the coast while the townspeople use their headlights to guide him. Two months later, Bernie and Miriam marry, remaining together for fifty-eight years until Bernie's death in 2009. The rescue is historically recognized as the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history, and all four rescuers were awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Craig Gillespie
- Writers
- Eric Johnson · screenplay; Scott Silver · screenplay; Paul Tamasy · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Chris Pine · Bernie Webber; Casey Affleck · Cluff; Ben Foster · Fitzgerald; Holliday Grainger · Miriam Penttinen; John Ortiz · Maske; Eric Bana · Livesey
- Genres
- action thriller; action drama; disaster
- Themes
- heroism; sacrifice; duty; love
- Setting
- Chatham, Massachusetts, and the Atlantic Ocean during February 1952.
- Premise and plot tags
- based on actual events; historical; disaster; rescue
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was considered a box office flop, grossing $52.1 million worldwide on a $70–80 million production budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 63% · review count: 201; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Production trivia
- The film was originally set to be directed by Robert Schwentke before he left to direct The Divergent Series: Insurgent.; The film required nearly 1,000 visual effects shots, with Moving Picture Company (MPC) responsible for the majority.; The film was originally scheduled for release on April 15, 2016, and then October 9, 2015, before the final date was set.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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