The Finest Hours Dvd

The Finest Hours is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The screenplay, written by Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul Tamasy, is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The film stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana, and chronicles the historic 1952 United States Coast Guard rescue of the crew of SS Pendleton, after the ship split apart during a nor’easter off the New England coast.

The Finest Hours was released in the Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats on January 29, 2016. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and was a box office flop, grossing just $52 million against its $70–80 million production budget.

Plot

Bernard “Bernie” Webber, a crewman at Coast Guard Station Chatham, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, has fallen in love with a local girl, Miriam Pentinen. The two plan to marry on April 16, but in accordance with Coast Guard regulations, Bernie must seek permission from the station’s commanding officer, Daniel Cluff, although it is usually just a formality. On the day he is due to ask permission, February 18, 1952, the oil tanker SS Pendleton shears in half off the Chatham coast after getting caught in a nor’easter. With the majority of the station’s crew already underway with the rescue of the similarly damaged SS Fort Mercer, Bernie is dispatched to pilot motor lifeboat CG 36500 to rescue the crew of Pendleton. Andrew Fitzgerald, Ervin Maske, and Richard P. Livesey volunteer to join Bernie on the rescue mission.

Meanwhile, the Pendleton’s engineer, Ray Sybert, as the surviving senior officer, organizes the surviving seamen to steer the sinking stern of the tanker onto a submerged reef, where it can lodge until rescuers arrive.

When Miriam hears that Bernie is leading the rescue effort, she, like a number of townspeople, thinks this is a suicide mission. Few people in Chatham trust Cluff, believing he could not possibly be capable of doing his job because he is not from the area. Miriam drives to the station, demanding that Cluff call Bernie back. Cluff refuses, and brusquely orders Miriam out.

Between Chatham Harbor and the open sea lies a bar, a series of shoals that are very dangerous even in good weather. Bernie must time bursts of his engine to ride each approaching wave before it breaks as he pilots CG 36500 across the bar. Although he makes it over the bar, he loses his compass.

Bernie steers CG 36500 to the stricken tanker. Although his boat’s designated capacity is only 12 people, Bernie manages to rescue 32 crewmen. The stern of Pendleton begins sinking more rapidly during the rescue and goes down shortly after the last crewman comes aboard Bernie’s boat. Relying on his knowledge of the coast and prevailing winds in place of his compass, Bernie steers CG 36500 toward home—a task made more difficult as Chatham loses power. Miriam and the other townspeople drive their cars to the pier and turn on their headlights to guide Bernie in.

The end of the film shows photographs from the event that briefly document the aftermath of the rescue. Two months later, Bernie and Miriam marry; they stay together for 58 years until Bernie’s death in 2009. Webber and his crew receive the Gold Lifesaving Medal.

Cast

Chris Pine as Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernard “Bernie” Webber
Casey Affleck as Ray Sybert
Holliday Grainger as Miriam Pentinen Webber
Ben Foster as Seaman Richard Livesey
Eric Bana as Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff
Graham McTavish as Frank “Pop” Fauteux
Kyle Gallner as Engineman Third Class Andrew Fitzgerald
Michael Raymond-James as A.B. Seaman D.A. Brown
John Magaro as Seaman Ervin Maske
Abraham Benrubi as George “Tiny” Myers
Keiynan Lonsdale as Eldon Hanan
John Ortiz as Seaman Wallace Quirey
Beau Knapp as Mel “Gus” Gouthro
Josh Stewart as Tchuda Southerland
Rachel Brosnahan as Bea Hansen
Matthew Maher as Carl Nickerson
Benjamin Koldyke as Donald Bangs