Dir: Andrew Davis

Starring: Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Melissa Sagemiller

 When I first discovered that Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher were making a film about the coastguards of America, my initial thought was that it was going to be a Baywatch-fuelled train wreck or, more fittingly, a shipwreck. Maybe this was because the last ocean-based Costner film that I remember seeing is better best forgotten (R.I.P. Waterworld 1995) or maybe it is because Ashton Kutcher, although hilarious on That 70’s Show, has increasingly irritated me since he hosted the MTV Gotcha rip-off known as Punk’d (clearly the person who named that show never learnt about ‘magic, magic e’).

The movie tells the story of Ben Randall (Costner), a decorated coastguard rescue swimmer who is pulled out of action due to a fatal accident that resulted in the death of his team. He is given an involuntary sabbatical and is sent to teach young new recruits to be part of the specialist team of rescue swimmers. One young recruit, Jake Fischer (Kutcher), is an overconfident but troubled individual with unlimited potential. Randall sees shades of himself in the youngster and consequently drills him to be the best.

The main problem I found with the film was that, although the plot is very good, it is a tried and tested formula; a teacher is hard on his pupil because he wants him to achieve his goals. It has just been recycled once again and this was the root underlying much unoriginality in the film.

The CGI was distinctly average. There were times it was good and times it looked like a video game. Also, the musical score was a major disappointment. In a film filled with nail-biting, supposedly dangerous moments, it really needed to do its job of building up the tension. Instead it was incompatible with the action.

The cinematography was all at sea (in more ways than one). The shaky camera worked well in the ocean scenes but was completely out of place in the training sequences which, aside from the questionable shots, were well researched and came across very effectively.

The acting was first-rate. Costner was cast perfectly as the hardened legend swimmer. His consistently high status as a big draw in Hollywood did not happen by accident. He is excellent here.

Kutcher’s character began as a one-dimensional cocky teenager and developed into an engaging troubled young man. He more than held his own with Costner and, providing he stays away from the generic throwaway teen comedies he seems to love doing, the coast is clear for a promising film future. Both actors were complimented by a great script (discounting some very dubious dialogue now and again).

The romance scenes were cheesy but oddly intriguing. It was interesting how Fischer’s life mirrored that of his mentor. There was a really captivating contrast between the fast-paced, quickly progressing relationship Fischer was in and the slow moving, tired one of Randall’s.

The ending really dented my enjoyment of the film. It was as though they wanted to tie the title in more obviously with the plot. It was cheesy and unnecessary.

All in all, The Guardian is a film that sails against the wind for much of the time but comes through strongly in the end. A memorable and surprisingly moving film.

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