Disney has released the first trailer for The Finest Hours, a true-story survival drama about one of the most daring Coast Guard rescues in U.S. history, and it’s an absolutely thrilling watch, resplendent with harrowing moments and incredible shots.
Between this and Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea, visually ambitious thrillers set in the wide expanses of the open ocean are definitely making a comeback, but I’m definitely not complaining about that, especially given that both films look so resolutely gripping.
Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) directs a cast led by Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz and Eric Bana. That’s a pretty killer lineup of actors, and it should be great to see all of them playing brave individuals under pressure in a situation as tense and dangerous as the one presented in that first trailer.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A heroic action-thriller, “The Finest Hours” is the remarkable true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history.Presented in Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummelling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern.
As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
The Finest Hours opens in IMAX 3D January 29.
