Four men fight for survival after their boat capsizes during a torrential storm off the coast of Florida in Not Without Hope, which opens in Prague cinemas a week before its limited US release. This poignant story, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by survivor Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman, is written with raw, unflinching authenticity by director Joe Carnahan, who co-wrote the screenplay with E. Nicholas Mariani and presents his most impactful film since 2011’s The Grey.
As for the true story the film portrays, the one presented in Not Without Hope is familiar; similar tales of rescue at sea have been brought to the big screen in films such as A Perfect Storm and The Finest Hours. But Carnahan’s procedural depiction of how things go wrong and how these men fight to survive is reminiscent of J.C. Chandor’s All Is Lost, and it fully immerses us in the narrative despite the relative lack of character development.
Director: Joe Carnahan
Writers: E. Nicholas Mariani, Joe Carnahan, Nick Schuyler
Stars: Zachary Levi, Josh Duhamel, Quentin Plair
Not Without Hope stars Zachary Levi as Schuyler, a 24-year-old personal trainer and recent college graduate who played football at the University of South Florida with his best friend Will Bleakley (played by Marshall Cook). They are also friends with former NFL players Marquis Cooper (Quentin Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrence Terrell), who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early in their careers.
If you're not already familiar with this story, you might miss some details in the opening scenes of Not Without Hope, which include a casual barbecue filled with informal conversation featuring Nick's fiancée, Paula (Floriana Lima), and Marquis's wife, Rebekah (Jessica Blackmore). Fifteen minutes into the film, the core group heads out on a fishing trip off the coast of Clearwater; ten minutes later, their fight for survival begins after their boat capsizes.
The capsizing is presented here with terrifying attention to detail. It wasn't an accident that caused the boat to capsize, but human error: after snagging its anchor on the seabed, Marquis attempts a dangerous maneuver to free it. With the storm intensifying, the situation worsens, and the four men have no choice but to cling to the overturned vessel and try to avoid hypothermia.
The scenes of hypothermic shock, which Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close (Josh Duhamel) describes as the worst way to die, are harrowingly recreated, and our stomachs clench as the warning signs are repeated. Cinematographer Juanmi Azpiroz's camera moves in and out of the water, filming from behind opaque glass, as the characters lose and regain consciousness; the sound design is similarly distorted. But instead of being distracting, Carnahan subtly employs these techniques to immerse us in the horror of the situation.
As our protagonists come to terms with their mortality, one can only wish one had known them a little better. Even Levi's Schuyler seems underdeveloped, and his personal crisis of conscience is mentioned but not explored; "I need to get better," he tells Marquis in an early scene, without elaborating. Despite serving as a tribute to these men, Not Without Hope isn't particularly interested in its characters as individuals, but rather focuses on the collective struggle for survival against all odds.
In that sense, Carnahan's film succeeds in its methodical portrayal not only of the crisis faced by the four men struggling to cling to their boat, but also of everyone involved in the rescue operation. It is in these characters that the hope that gives the film its title resonates most powerfully: as the days pass, their chances of finding survivors diminish. One of the film's most impactful scenes isn't the one with the characters at sea fighting for their lives, but an introspective moment between Close and Nick's mother (JoBeth Williams).
Not Without Hope maintains a steady pace from beginning to end, balancing moments of intense physical danger with quieter, more reflective moments that allow the audience to grasp the human cost of such disasters. Carnahan's direction ensures that the tension never lets up, even when the narrative is reduced to procedural survival steps. Levi, in a realistic and authentic performance, carries much of the emotional weight, while the supporting cast complements its urgency with understated moments of heroism and camaraderie.
The simplicity of the story told in Not Without Hope limits its narrative surprises, but it excels in its meticulous portrayal of survival, leaving us with a lingering sense of human resilience in the face of nature's relentless power. Every wave and moment of exhaustion is depicted with unwavering attention to detail, transforming a familiar tale into a visceral meditation on courage, endurance, and the unforgiving sea.
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