We all live or we all die.

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2016)

THE FINEST HOURS is simply one of the finest movies I have ever seen. From the opening scenes where Young Bernie Webber is pulled into a blind date by his friend and He meets the Woman that becomes his wife. To Bernie's dedication to the coast guard. Chris Pine is totally engrossing as Bernie. The Story is one of Heroism sacrifice. And Skill and courage under fire . During a Winter Storm on Feb. of 1952 Two Oil Tankers fall victim to the raging waters one of the Ships the S.S. Pendleton breaks in half. The Men trapped on the floating Stern Are forced to work together to keep the floating hulk afloat. The Head Engineer Played brilliantly by Casey Affleck has the knowledge and the skills to keep them alive until they get rescued. But so far no one knows they are out there. And The other Oil Tanker commands all the attention. When the Pendleton finally gets the message out. The picking for rescuers are slim and Bernie is ordered by his commanding officer To mount a rescue . Bernie in command picks a crew and takes out the only boat remaining. A small boat. And in those waters agitated by the storm it amounts to a Suicide mission. As Bernie tells his men. "They tell us to go out. They don't tell us to come back"! Bernie is also working under the spectre of a failed mission in which he failed to save the lives of a sinking ship the year before. So Bernie is looking for redemption. That and the fact that Bernie is driven to save those men. All lives matter to Bernie and to him failure is not even a option they'll do it or die trying.
The Special Effects are spectacular. But they pale in comparison to the acting and the story. Both are the finest kind you'll see in any movie released this year. This movie easily climbed on to the top of my favorite movie list. The style of the movie is beautiful and makes one long for the simpler times back then. And makes us believe in heroes again.