So you wanna be a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer? Better see The Guardian first. It’s a harrowing depiction of the training and challenges involved in this dangerous but desperately needed occupation. Co-starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, the movie succeeds primarily because of the way these fine actors relate to one another as teacher and student, respectively. Scenes of daring rescues during wild and terrifying storms at sea add to the film’s excitement.

Costner plays Ben Randall, a veteran rescue swimmer who’s assigned to teach recruits after losing his entire crew in his last mission. Injured both physically and emotionally, Ben struggles with memories of the tragedy as well as with his wife’s (Sela Ward) decision to leave him. Although not happy about being relieved of active duty, Ben takes his new assignment seriously and places rigorous demands on his students. However, Jake Fisher (Kutcher), one of the best recruits, puzzles Ben. Jake is a hotshot swimmer who seems more determined to break Ben’s records than to save lives. This irritates Ben and sets up tension between the two men. After finding out what makes Jake so driven, Ben becomes more understanding, and their strong mentoring relationship begins to develop.               

The pairing of Costner and Kutcher, both easy on the eye, turns out to be very effective here. Their performances complement each other. At first, Costner’s Ben earned most of my sympathy. This veteran actor endows Ben with a combination of weariness and dedication that really got to me. But soon Kutcher’s Jake also became someone I cared deeply about. Kutcher does an excellent job of portraying a brash young man who has deep emotional scars as tragic as the ones haunting Ben. Watching these characters change their feelings about each other is what I enjoyed most about The Guardian.

Director Andrew Davis, of The Fugitive fame, wanted everything in The Guardian to look real and authentic. Where the film’s rescue sequences are concerned, he succeeded with flying colors, even though some of the action was shot in a tank standing in for the Bering Sea. However, toward the end of the film these jumping-in-the-water scenes seem too repetitive, and the movie runs about 15 to 20 minutes too long. Also, I’m disappointed that the love story between Kutcher’s character and an elementary school teacher (Melissa Sagemiller) comes across as too cutesy and would probably be more appropriate for a romantic comedy than an action drama like this.

Even with its minor faults, The Guardian emerges as a fine tribute to the brave U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers who continue to save so many people from drowning in treacherous waters. At the Sneak Preview I attended, members of the audience applauded as the film’s end credits rolled -- and I’m sure their applause was also meant for these real-life heroes.

(Released by Touchstone Pictures and rated “PG-13” for intense sequences of action/peril brief strong language and some sexuality. Reviewed after the Sneak Preview held on Saturday, September 19, 2006.)