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The Guardian By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- The last time Kevin Costner got this wet acting was in the 1995 sea wreck "Waterworld." He fares much better in "The Guardian" (Touchstone), a sufficiently entertaining if overly long action drama that combines elements of "Top Gun," "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "The Perfect Storm." Costner plays veteran Coast Guard rescue swimmer Ben Randall, who, after losing a colleague during a mission, temporarily hangs up his fins to teach at a Coast Guard academy, where he locks horns with cocky recruit Jake Fisher (Ashton Kutcher). During one weeding-out exercise, Randall makes the cadets tread water for an hour, which is pretty much what the film does with standard training scenarios before the story really starts. Friction gives way to friendship, as the two men find a bond in their similar struggles with personal demons. A poignant baton-passing climax should have been the logical finale, but director Andrew Davis unnecessarily tacks on two more endings. Jake's extraneous romance with a local schoolteacher (Melissa Sagemiller) -- troubling in the characters' nonchalant attitude toward casual sex -- could also have been chucked completely, since the film is really about Costner and Kutcher and watching them jump into angry seas realistically rendered through a combination of digital effects and stage work in a giant wave tank. Despite playing at times like a commercial for the Coast Guard, the formulaic film is kept afloat by appealing performances, exciting rescue sequences and an admirable theme about sacrificing one's life to save others. The film contains intense scenes of peril, including a harrowing helicopter crash, implied sexual encounters and a tacit approval of casual sex, a brief bar fight, an instance of the f-word, as well as some crude language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies. END Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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