Costner keeps coast guard movie afloat

There are people out there who risk their lives to save others; people who are called to duty when things become too dangerous for even the army or navy. Those people serve as rescue swimmers on the United States Coast Guard, which, before the release of "The Guardian", never got the recognition it deserved. Kudos to director Andrew Davis ("A Perfect Murder") who, along with some help from writer Ron L. Brinkerhoff, brought to the big screen a legitimate portrayal of just how much risk rescue swimmers go to on a nearly daily basis.\nThe film starts out fast-paced. In one of the first scenes, we watch Senior Officer Ben Randall (Kevin Costner), lose members of his team and his best friend while on a mission. After the incident, Randall is then given the choice of retiring or moving from Kodiak, Alaska, to Florida to become a teacher and train young students who aspire to be rescue swimmers.\nSince his marriage to wife Helen (Sela Ward) has nearly dissolved, Randall chooses to move to Florida. While training a group of young hopefuls, Senior Officer Randall seems to see a lot of himself in student Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher). And though Randall often singles Jake out, the two are able to create a bond as they learn they have more in common than just their love for rescue swimming.\nKevin Costner is remarkable as Officer Randall. It seems that within the past year, he has made quite the comeback. And I must admit that on the contrary to what you may think (anyone seen "Dude, Where's My Car?"), Ashton Kutcher can, in fact, act. And the supporting cast is strong as well, as we are able to get a realistic look at how much work is put into becoming a member of the USCG.\nI gained a lot of respect for the USCG after watching this movie because, until "The Guardian", I had no idea that the job was so intense and dangerous. I also expected to get nauseated from all of the scenes filmed in the water with large waves, but that wasn't the case at all. "The Guardian" was tastefully shot and put together, and though the ending left me with mixed emotions, I was to happy to have seen it.