The Guardian
No DVD review today on this movie staring Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) and Ashton Kutcher (That 70's Show). I watched this in my hotel room in Las Vegas.
Directed by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive), The Guardian is a movie that finally gives the Coast Guard their due, in a way that GI Jane could never do for the Navy. Also starring Sela Ward (House M.D.) and the great Clancy Brown (Highlander) and Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers) along with John Heard (Home Alone).
Costner plays Ben Randell, the veteran rescue swimmer for Kodak, Alaska's U.S. Coast Guard. After an accident at sea, Ben is sent to recuperate while acting as the chief instructor at 'A' school for new rescue swimmer recruits. His story arc is a predictable movement from dedicated military man with a train wreak marriage, to anger, empathy and redemption.
Kutcher is the best of this movie (who'd a thunk?) as a Jake "Fish" Fisher is a hotshot varsity swimmer who is beating his personal demons with the desire to save others lives. Kutcher plays Fish with equal aplomb to the airhead he played on That 70's Show, you totally buy it. He is seen by Randell not as a threat but as a piece of unmolded iron that is shaped correctly could be a big asset to Coast Guard. Once Fish moves from student to rescue swimmer, Kutcher does an admirable job of transferring his self school persona to a determined 'hero'. I think the movie is considered so good based on word of mouth exactly because Kutcher makes the transition in the movie with such ease.
There are some holes in the movie, especially in regards to the shrinking size of the class. Characters with ample dialogue early in the film are just gone in the later acts. Otherwise an enjoyable, perhaps formulaic action/drama that is re-watchable. And isn't that the blessing to any movie.
Directed by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive), The Guardian is a movie that finally gives the Coast Guard their due, in a way that GI Jane could never do for the Navy. Also starring Sela Ward (House M.D.) and the great Clancy Brown (Highlander) and Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers) along with John Heard (Home Alone).
Costner plays Ben Randell, the veteran rescue swimmer for Kodak, Alaska's U.S. Coast Guard. After an accident at sea, Ben is sent to recuperate while acting as the chief instructor at 'A' school for new rescue swimmer recruits. His story arc is a predictable movement from dedicated military man with a train wreak marriage, to anger, empathy and redemption.
Kutcher is the best of this movie (who'd a thunk?) as a Jake "Fish" Fisher is a hotshot varsity swimmer who is beating his personal demons with the desire to save others lives. Kutcher plays Fish with equal aplomb to the airhead he played on That 70's Show, you totally buy it. He is seen by Randell not as a threat but as a piece of unmolded iron that is shaped correctly could be a big asset to Coast Guard. Once Fish moves from student to rescue swimmer, Kutcher does an admirable job of transferring his self school persona to a determined 'hero'. I think the movie is considered so good based on word of mouth exactly because Kutcher makes the transition in the movie with such ease.
There are some holes in the movie, especially in regards to the shrinking size of the class. Characters with ample dialogue early in the film are just gone in the later acts. Otherwise an enjoyable, perhaps formulaic action/drama that is re-watchable. And isn't that the blessing to any movie.
posted by Comm's @ 2:35 PM
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