'Not Without Hope' Review

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Release Date: 11/21/25 [Cinemas]

Genre: Drama. Thriller.

MPAA: Rated R.

Distributor: Inaugural Entertainment.

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The Verdict: A Maybe

On February 28, 2009, four friends sailed out into the Gulf of Mexico for a fishing trip. But only one of them would ever make it back to land. After more than 48 hours trapped at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard discovered one person, barely clinging to life and to the (capsized) boat the group went sailing on. What happened over those few days is recounted in the new film titled Not Without Hope.

The film is an adaptation of the non-fiction book of the same name, written by the tragedy’s sole survivor Nick Schuyler, and directed by Joe Carnahan. While the book is a firsthand account of Schuyler’s experience while lost at sea, the film provides a more fleshed out, third-person account of what happened on both land and sea. As the four friends try to hang on for literal life, we follow authorities as they race against time to find them in real time. 

Carnahan’s ability to capture the brutality and hopelessness the group feels as they wait for help is one of the film’s greatest strengths. While that should come as no surprise considering he previously helmed one of the best survival thrillers of the last few decades (The Grey), here he ups the ante. Not only does he fully immerse the audience in the brutal environment, he makes them feel like they are struggling to survive too. For example, the moment the group’s boat becomes capsized, every shot becomes fogged up or partly obstructed. It’s similar to the way we struggle to see clearly when our eyes come in direct contact with water. As a result, it’s hard to tell how close some of the characters are to the ship. And it’s even harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. 

As much as Carnahan’s direction elevates the story, the film struggles to stay afloat due to its paperthin performances. Zachary Levi stars as Schuyler. While he seems totally sincere in his portrayal, he feels terribly miscast. Even Quentin Plair, Terrence Terrell and Marshall Cook, who play Schuyler’s ill-fated crewmates, are not perfect. But their portrayals feel grounded enough that the audience can lose itself in the story. However, long before any of the characters go missing, Levi just feels absent from the film. The simplest way to describe his performance is that he does not match the energy of the film’s other performers. Even Josh Duhamel, who seemed irredeemable after those god-awful Buddy Games movies, is more believable here as the head of the Coast Guard determined to find the lost boat (though it still feels like he’s just yelling his lines at times).

Acting aside, the film’s only other con is that the sequence of events gets muddled as the film goes on. One character straight-up disappears. Scenes where some of the crew’s significant others start to grow worried become repetitive. But the overall impact is the same.

Now, Not Without Hope isn't a bad film. While it doesn’t rise to the same levels as some of Carnahan’s other work, it’s still a solid addition to his resume. What he does with water in particular here might even make James Cameron wet! But despite being a respectful retelling of an unbelievably sad story, it gets bogged down by some of its acting.

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