Monday, May 07, 2007

The Guardian

The US Coast Guard version of "Top Gun" with a little "An Officer and A Gentleman" thrown in: an aging USCG rescue swimmer's team is killed in a horrific rescue mission. Immediately prior to this terrible event, his wife also announced that she cannot take anymore. His first love is always the rescue mission. This leaves him an obviously emotional wreck. His commender gives him a choice - quit or take a position as an instructor at the USCG training facility in Louisiana. Reluctantly he takes the position. Moving into the school, he immediately increases the 18 week curriculum that routinely fails half of the people that attend. Here he meets a young man with unlimited potential, but with some secret that seems to hold him back as a team player. Delving into his past, links are found that make him a psychic twin to the older man. Thrown into the midst of the story is a romance with a local girl. Rescue missions punctuate the beginning and end of the story with the training sessions the center of the film.

This was a terrific movie about the Coast Guard rescue swimmers and the missions they perform. Kevin Costner does a great job and Ashton Kutcher surprised me in that he was a serious actor in this film. Both deliver powerful performances interacting with each other's character. The demanding physical training, dedication, and personal sacrifice that all Coast Guard rescue swimmers must go through, make all of them heroes to me. They live every day by their motto, "So Others May Live." The Coast Guard doesn't get the same public exposure as other branches of the military, but this film finally gives them the long overdue tribute they deserve. There are only 280 rescue swimmers in the entire Coast Guard. Stay and see the credits because they show actual Coast Guard rescues from Hurricane Katrina. I highly recommend everyone going to see this movie.

PLUS, in the credits, there is an AMAZING song called "Never Let Go" by Bryan Adams, I absolutely love it and hope/think you will too!