The Finest Hours

— A retelling of what may be the greatest small-boat rescue ever, when a nor’easter broke apart two oil tankers. The aft half of one of them, the Pendleton, managed to maintain power for a while until the hull flooded. All available cutters were trying to rescue the other tanker so 4 crewmen took a 36’ wood boat with an official capacity of 12, maneuvered through rough waters with waves cresting at nearly 70 feet, lost their compass, rolled over twice while crossing the Chatham shoal, and still managed to take on 33 stranded sailors and make it back to shore. It’s a Disney film, reminding us of 1950’s values and of miracles that can bring tears to our eyes. It’s well done even if it’s also something of a throw-back to earlier times. (Netflix.)

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[2016. 115 min. Directed by John Lee Hancok. Starring Michael Keaton, Nik Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, and Linda Carrdellini.]
http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-finest-hours-review-1201682105/