Effective, old-fashioned disaster drama

Rating: 6/10 (16 January 2018)

Don't be put off by the Disney presence, as THE FINEST HOURS is a refreshingly old fashioned disaster-rescue movie based on a true story. The setting is 1952's Cape Cod, where a tanker is cut in two in a freak accident during a storm and about to sink; a rescue vessel crewed by rookies is tasked with helping to get the men off. The film cuts well between two concurrent plotlines, and of the two, the disaster stuff on the tanker is by far the better. The likes of Casey Affleck and Graham McTavish must use their wits to keep themselves afloat, and the CGI effects do a convincing job of painting the worst possible picture. Back on shore, the reliable Chris Pine and Ben Foster keep you watching, although I could have done without all of the sentimental romantic stuff with a shoehorned-in Holliday Grainger, only there to have the token presence of a woman in the film.