The Coast Guard Gets an Excellent Tribute in 'The Finest Hours'

Disney's The Finest Hours is out this week on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD. The movie tells the story of a daring February 1952 Coast Guard rescue off Cape Cod and it's exactly the kind of positive, family-friendly military movie that people say they want to see. It deserves a long life on home video and cable TV.

Directed by Craig Gillespie (who made the similarly family-friendly Million Dollar Arm), the movie stars Chris Pine as Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernie Webber, who led a Coast Guard CG-36500 crew on what seemed an impossible mission to rescue crew members of the tanker SS Pendleton, which had broken in half during a brutal storm.

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The film also stars Eric Bana and Ben Foster from Lone Survivor and Casey Affleck gives an exceptional performance as the Pendleton's chief engineer Raymond Sybert, the man who keeps things together on board the ship just long enough for Webber to lead a rescue.

The movie is based on the non-fiction book by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias. The Blu-ray comes with several extras, including an excellent documentary that interviews folks in Chatham, MA who remember the actual events.

• AGAINST ALL ODDS: THE BERNIE WEBBER STORY – Visit the quaint and close-knit town of Chatham, and experience the events surrounding the most heroic Coast Guard rescue ever through the eyes of the people who witnessed them.


• BROTHERHOOD – Cast members reflect on the bonds they forged during the shoot.


• TWO CREWS – Chris Pine and Casey Affleck share insights into Bernie Webber and Ray Sybert, men who led their respective crews against all odds.


• WHAT IS YOUR FINEST HOUR? – A Coast Guard member recounts an incredible rescue.


• THE FINEST INSPIRATION: THE U.S. COAST GUARD Meet the people who put their lives on the line for others.


• DELETED SCENES: A Desperate Idea & The Story of How They Met


 

 The DVD includes BROTHERHOOD and THE FINEST INSPIRATION: THE U.S. COAST GUARD.