Arriving on DVD this week is director Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope, based on the real-life 2009 boating disaster that claimed the lives of three young men, including NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith. Although the film is a faith-based production, it is not as overtly steeped in religious messaging as others in the genre. Carnahan’s involvement behind the camera is what initially drew my attention to the project.
The story follows Nick (Zachary Levi), Marquis (Quentin Plair), Corey (Terrence Terrell), and Will (Marshall Cook), who head out for what is meant to be a relaxing day of fishing on Marquis’ boat. Hoping to beat an approaching storm, the friends attempt to return to shore, but disaster strikes when the boat’s anchor becomes lodged on the ocean floor. Unable to free it in time, the violent storm capsizes the vessel, leaving the four men stranded roughly 70 miles off the coast of Clearwater while their families anxiously await news back home.
At the same time, U.S. Coast Guard Captain Tomothy Close (Josh Duhamel) leads the desperate search effort, hoping to locate the missing men before hypothermia sets in. Ironically, their strong athletic physiques work against them; with very little body fat, the cold ocean waters threaten to drain their body heat at a far more rapid pace. With the storm still raging, rescue helicopters and planes risk flying directly over the survivors without ever spotting them.
Not Without Hope proves to be a tense and engaging effort from Carnahan. Regardless of any off-screen opinions about Levi, he delivers a strong performance here—arguably one of his most compelling to date. While some of the CGI waves in the background lack realism, several of the water sequences are impressively staged, particularly moments when the characters struggle to navigate the violently churning sea.
Viewers familiar with the real-life tragedy may already know how things pan out. Even so, for audiences drawn to true stories of endurance and survival against overwhelming odds, Not Without Hope is well worth a look.
