Movie and Film Profile: The Finest Hours (2016)

The Finest Hours premiered on January 26, 2016, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. Generally released theatrically on January 29, 2016. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures in association with Whitaker Entertainment and Red Hawk Entertainment and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. 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. 

DMFE Rating: ★★★½☆ (3.50 out of 5 stars)

CAUTION: Possible Spoilers Ahead!

The story takes place in February 1952 in Chatham, Massachusetts, during a powerful nor’easter that strikes the New England coastline. Two oil tankers, the SS Fort Mercer and the SS Pendleton, are caught in the storm and battered by massive waves. 

The SS Pendleton breaks in two amid hurricane-force winds and freezing seas. The bow sinks, while the stern remains afloat with more than 30 crew members stranded. With most senior officers lost, First Assistant Engineer Ray Sybert assumes leadership and works to keep the remaining men alive as the vessel slowly floods.

At the Coast Guard station in Chatham, Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernard “Bernie” Webber is ordered to attempt a rescue despite near-impossible conditions. With three crewmen, Richard Livesey, Andy Fitzgerald, and Ervin Maske, Webber launches the 36-foot motor lifeboat into the raging storm. The small wooden craft is battered by enormous waves, losing its compass and nearly capsizing.

After navigating blindly through the storm, Webber and his crew locate the stern of the Pendleton. Against protocol and physical limits, they load 32 survivors onto a boat designed to carry far fewer. With no compass and limited visibility, Webber relies on instinct and experience to guide the overloaded lifeboat back to shore.

As the storm continues, townspeople line the harbor with headlights to guide the rescue boat home. The lifeboat successfully returns with 32 survivors, completing one of the most daring small-boat rescues in U.S. Coast Guard history.

The soundtrack for The Finest Hours was released on January 29, 2016. The album contains the films score which was composed by Carter Burwell and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. 

First released on home media (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD) on May 24, 2016. The Finest Hours is available on Disney+ as of January 29, 2026. 

CAST & CREW

• Director: Craig Gillespie
• Producer: Jim Whitaker, P.G.A., Dorothy Aufiero, P.G.A. 
• Screenplay: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
• Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe, ASC
• Editor: Tatiana S. Riegel, ACE
• Art Director(s): Ravi Bansal 
• Music: Carter Burwell 
• Cast: Chris Pine (as Bernie Webber), Casey Affleck (as Ray Sybert), Ben Foster (as Richard Livesey), Holliday Grainger (as Miriam Webber), John Ortiz (as Wallace Quirey), Kyle Gallner (as Andy Fitzgerald), John Magaro (as Ervin Maske), Graham McTavish (as Frank Fauteux), Michael Raymond-James (as D.A. Brown), Eric Bana (as Daniel Cluff), Beau Knapp (as Mel Gouthro), Josh Stewart (as Tchuda Southerland), Abraham Benrubi (as George ‘Tiny’ Myers), Keiynan Lonsdale (as Eldon Hanan), Rachel Brosnahan (as Bea Hansen), Ben Koldyke (as Donald Bangs), Matthew Maher (as Carl Nickerson)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• MPAA Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Sound: Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS)
• Format: Color
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Genre(s): Action and Adventure, Drama, Historical (from movies.disney.com)

BOX OFFICE (from IMDb.com)

• Budget: $80,000,000 (estimated)
• Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $10,228,932
• Gross (U.S. & Canada): $27,569,558
• Gross (Worldwide): $52,099,090

RATINGS

• My Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 64% (Tomatometer) | 66% (Popcornmeter)
• Metacritic: 58 (Metascore) | 6.6 (Popcornmeter)
• IMDb: 6.7 (out of 10)
• The Movie DB: 66% User Score)
• Letterboxd: 3.1 (out of 5)
• Combined Rating: 64.88

MY THOUGHTS

The Finest Hours mixes historical drama, action, and human resilience. It highlights the brutal force of nature, the sacrifices of rescue personnel, the bonds formed under pressure, and the will to survive against overwhelming odds. Overall, it is a well-crafted and respectful historical drama that delivers strong performances and impressive storm visuals. 

Have you seen The Finest Hours? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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