The Guardian (2006/I)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Andrew Davis

Writer (WGA):

Ron L. Brinkerhoff (written by)

Release Date:

29 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

When lives are on the line, sacrifice everything.

Plot:

A high school swim champion with a troubled past enrolls in the U.S. Coast Guard's "A" School, where legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall teaches him some hard lessons about loss, love, and self-sacrifice.

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Coast Guard | Training | Team | Instructor

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Ben Randall
Ashton Kutcher	...	Jake Fischer
Sela Ward	...	Helen Randall
Melissa Sagemiller	...	Emily Thomas
Clancy Brown	...	Capt. William Hadley
Omari Hardwick	...	Carl Billings
Alex Daniels	...	Wild Bill
Daniel J. Molthen	...	Co-Pilot Wakefield (as Lcdr. Daniel J. Molthen USCG)
Andrew Schanno	...	Pilot Mitchell (as Lt. Andrew Schanno USCG)
Adam Pena	...	Benjamin Reyes
Joe Arquette	...	Co-Pilot Antunez
Gary Billburg	...	Julian Zankich (as PO1 Gary Billburg USCG)
Joshua Mitcheltree	...	Mitcheltree (as PO2 Joshua Mitcheltree USCG)
Rusty Tennant	...	Mover #1
James Barnes	...	Doctor #1

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | Brazil:12 | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41893) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Sweden:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Company:

Beacon Pictures

Trivia:

The movie uses clips of real incidents supplied to Walt Disney by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency during the training sequences in scenes at the training school.

Goofs:

Continuity: The entire area is blanketed in snow when Fisch and Randall arrive at Kodiak, but in the cave rescue scene there is no snow anywhere on the cliffs or on the bluff above the cave. That is because the scene was filmed near Cape Disappointment, Washington, not Alaska.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Capt. William Hadley: There is a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea. He is a fisher of men, the last hope of all those who have been left behind. Many survivors claim to have felt his gripping hands beneath them; pushing them up to the surface; whispering strength until help could arrive. But this, of course, is only a legend.

Movie Connections:

References Speed (1994/I)

Soundtrack:

Seven Year Itch

Retold story holds water

I've seen this story before but my kids haven't. Boy with troubled past joins military, faces his past, falls in love and becomes a man. The mentor this time is played perfectly by Kevin Costner; An ordinary man with common everyday problems who lives an extraordinary conviction, to save lives. After losing his team he takes a teaching position training the next generation of heroes. The young troubled recruit is played by Kutcher. While his scenes with the local love interest are a tad stiff and don't generate enough heat to melt butter, he compliments Costner well. I never really understood Sela Ward as the neglected wife and felt she should of wanted Costner to quit out of concern for his safety as opposed to her selfish needs. But her presence on screen is a pleasure. The two unaccredited stars of this movie are the Coast Guard and the Sea. Both powerful forces which should not be taken for granted in real life or this movie. The movie has some slow spots and could have used the wasted 15 minutes to strengthen the character relationships. But it still works. The rescue scenes are intense and well filmed and edited to provide maximum impact. This movie earns the audience applause. And the applause of my two sons.