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A true-life tale of heroism is re-enacted in "The Finest Hours," but the movie's most fascinating hero isn't necessarily the one you think.
The film chronicles the daring sea rescue in 1952 when a small Coast Guard vessel with a four-man crew was sent out to bring back the men from a tanker torn in half by a blizzard off Cape Cod. Director Craig Gillespie ("Million Dollar Arm") splits the action in two parts: the determination of a meek junior officer, Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), to get over the massive waves between the tanker and port; and the quick thinking of the tanker's chief engineer, Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck), to keep the ship's back half afloat long enough for a rescue to be possible.
All signs indicate the movie wants you to root for Webber, even having his pretty girlfriend, Miriam (Holliday Grainger), play a major role, and marvel at the portrayal of a timid Coastie who's a world away from Pine's Capt. James T. Kirk. But I found Affleck's Sybert, using his wits and knowledge of the ship to buy time and keep his men from losing hope, far more compelling.
'The Finest Hours'
Opening Friday, Jan. 29, in theaters everywhere; rated PG-13 for intense sequences of peril; 117 minutes.