The Finest Hours

A daring real-life sea rescue off Cape Cod in 1952 inspired this disaster movie, with Chris Pine as the square-jawed Coast Guard sailor who leads his men into the mountainous surf. In its early stages director Craig Gillespie (Cruella) makes slow headway trying to get us to share would-be fiancée Holliday Grainger's anxiety for her man's well-being - because Pine is so stoically determined, it seems unlikely any harm will come to him. That changes once the wind and waves get up and he's piloting a tiny boat out to rescue the crew stuck on the stern section of an oil tanker ripped in two by the ferocious storm. Although the characterisation in this Disney production is just a little too safe and sanitised, the movie becomes surprisingly gripping. It's rather obvious that we're watching digital rather than genuine sea spray, but the fact that these events actually took place adds to the film's power, as does Casey Affleck's brooding turn as the engineer on board the stricken tanker.