In 1952, a small, common-garden 36-ft vessel, braved impossible waves to rescue the crew of an oil tanker which had split in half off the coast of Massachusetts. The odds were astronomical, yet two determined men would save the day for many: Bernard “Bernie” Webber (Chris Pine), the diligent, by-the-book crewman at the station on Cape Cod, and the tanker’s unflappable, ingenious engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck).

Craig Gillespie’s historical drama of what is considered the US Coast Guard’s most daring mission, is, ironically enough, never at sea when it’s at sea. Crashing waves pound and toss, orders are bellowed, life-saving improvisations work last minute as Carter Burwell’s score thunders appropriately along, and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe snakes along the tanker’s flooding decks.

Sadly, the characters aren’t nearly so compelling: Affleck brings colour to his most-able seaman, but Chris Pine, written up as an unlikely stripling despite being played by Chris Pine, can do little to animate the dull do-gooder that passes for the film’s hero.

The secondary characters are much worse: nothing is gained by the inclusion of Bernie’s stern, not-from-around-these-parts commanding bureaucrat (Eric Bana) and Bernie’s meddling, Bedchel-failing love interest (Holliday Grainger) is as irritating as she is superfluous to requirements.

There is, moreover, none of the derring-do and sense of danger that characterised the far-superior recent swashbuckler, In the Heart of the Sea.

The incident on which Craig Gillespie’s film is based may have marked the titular finest hour for the historical personages depicted, but everyone involved in this production will make more thrilling pictures than this one.