The Guardian
By John Sheridan, Blockbuster.co.uk

“So others may live.”

This is the motto of the United States Coastguard Rescue Swimmers. We’ve seen plenty of movies about cops, soldiers, sailors, government agents, doctors, nurses and even astronauts but we’ve never seen a film about people who jump into 10ft high waves from a helicopter to go and save complete strangers.

It’s a heroic job and it is clear from the outset that the cast and crew involved in the movie really do appreciate this. Director Andrew Davis, the man behind The Fugitive directs legendary leading man Kevin Costner and The Butterfly Effect star Ashton Kutcher in this incredibly accurate movie, made in full cooperation with the United States Coastguard Rescue Swimmers.

“I swim as fast and as hard as I can, for as long as I can. And the sea takes the rest.”

Costner stars as Ben Randall, a legendary member of the US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. When his wife leaves him and his best friend and crew are all killed on the same day; Randall starts to suffer from post-traumatic stress and his boss decides that it is time for him to be transferred from frontline duty, to teach new recruits at the Navy Academy. Among the first students that he is tasked with training is Jake Fisher (Ashton Kutcher), a cocky High School swim champion who is determined to break all the Navy’s speed records.

“I wasn't aware it was possible for someone to still be alive and hold their breath for fifteen minutes, Senior Chief.”

It is not long before Randall starts to butt heads with the cocky upstart, but all the time, he is secretly intrigued to why a swimmer with such a decorated history and opportunities at all the top colleges in the country, would want to dedicate his life to rescue strangers. Randall decides to investigate. Meanwhile, Fisher makes the most of being a sailor, hooking up with a school teacher and coming to terms with the fact that he will shortly have to leave her.

All in all a great film with some great stars; The Guardian is one of the best films that I have seen in a long while – with some outstanding special effects (no – really), great cinematography and good performances all round. Kutcher trained for over six months before taking on the role, leading the Coastguard adviser to state that he could easily pass the extensive Coastguard training course. It is this that adds to the realism of the film and makes the whole thing a great success.

Add this to your list now as if your life depended on it!