In The Guardian, director Andrew Davis, best known for 1994's The Fugitive, dives deep into the world of the United States Coast Guard's elite rescue swimmers. This hotshot-to-hero flick stars Kevin Costner as Senior Chief Ben Randall, a 20-year veteran and legendary teacher for the Coast Guard's A-School, where new recruits train to earn the right to risk their lives in the cold sea "so that others may live." Davis takes this credo and builds a true-to-life story that engages its audience.
The story begins when Randall meets the seemingly invincible Jake Fischer (Kutcher), a star swimmer in high school whose cocky attitude doesn't quite meet Randall's expectations. The film intertwines the personal lives of these two extraordinary men with their professional lives, and the parallels become striking. Both have haunting pasts and must fight to overcome them on a daily basis, and struggle to balance the difficult work of a rescuer with a love life.
The film follows a relatively predictable story line with just a few surprises thrown in between the fantastic computer-generated rescue scenes and the intense A-School training. The relationship between Fischer and Randall is the main story line, moving from one of distrust and confusion to one of camaraderie and trust. Both Costner and Kutcher deliver inspiring performances, with each displaying a wide spectrum of emotions, all of which flow well with the plot.
The Guardian leaves the viewer with a complete cinematic experience, encouraging a better appreciation for the US Coast Guard and all they do for Americans. The Guardian presents a realistic, nuanced story with great acting, music and action scenes
