The Guardian (2006)

The Guardian is a heart racing film that focuses on legendary Coast Guard rescue swimmer Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) who, while reeling with grief from a failed rescue mission, is tasked with training new recruits. As Ben Randall settles into life as a teacher he meets Jack Fischer (Ashton Kutcher), a swim champion who's driven by a deadly secret and a need to break records. Ben must teach Jack the harsh realities of what it means to be a Coast Guard rescue swimmer.

Overall Review Score

9 out of 10

Review

While the opening of this film is based extremely loosely on a real-life Coast Guard accident off Alaska, The Guardian drops the audience right into the action and, just like the real-life rescue swimmers, never let us go. It takes the audience effortlessly on a high-octane, drama rich journey that highlights the acting credentials of Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher - who both deliver acting master classes for the full 133 minutes of this film. The audience fully connect with the characters and when Ben Randall says, 'There's dead and then there's dead' the audience can not help but nod in agreement. A little unknown fact about the film is that many of the supporting actors, including instructors, helicopter pilots, and support personnel, are actual U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers, pilots, and ground personnel. - Which just makes this film better as it ensures that the action is based in reality and does not give the audience a false Hollywood impression of the Coast Guard. Overall, The Guardian is a film that takes the audience on a rocky, unpredictable storyline that is rich in detail and rewarding through superior acting, a great script and a unique ending (and alternative ending) that will leave the audience wondering whether there truly is a 'Guardian under the sea'.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

Filled with spectacular rescues from start to finish. The Guardian tells a riveting story that keeps the audience entertained. Both Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher deliver powerful and heartfelt performances that encapsulate the very essence of the Coast Guard - the unsung guardians of the sea.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

The Guardian is an action-packed film that drops the audience into the murky, cold and wet world of the Coast Guard's rescue swimmers Aviation Survival Technician (AST) program. Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher feed off each other and deliver excellent performances, while the use of real-life Coast Guard swimmers helps to ensure the film is more fact than fiction. Overall, the Guardian is an excellent film that effortlessly entertains and delivers a hard-hitting rememberable drama. Although, in-places, it badly steals clichés from other films which distracts the audience from this exceptional film.

#action #adventure #drama #kevincostner #ashtonkutcher