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As you watch, please remember "The Guardian" is a motion picture – a lot of the scenes are played in a way that will elicit certain emotions. Some of the scenes are just plain fantasy. However, that being said, please also remember that there are thousands of individuals who serve their country daily in the U. S. Coast Guard, a military service now under the Department of Homeland Security, but previously directed by the Department of Transportation. They serve at sea, on land and in the air. Much of the drama and danger depicted in the film is more than real. These situations happen far more often than you would imagine. How do I know? I served in the USCG from 1976 to 1984 several decades prior to the approximate time of the motion picture. The video training footage is real. And, it's simply amazing that many people are actually saved from some of those hopeless situations.

I almost lost my life on several occasions while tending to routine duty. Had it not been for our CG training and attention to detail, both before and during our missions, I would not be writing this review today. I served in every location depicted in the film, including Alaska, which can indeed be a brutal environment. The major portion of my small boat duty happened in the Gulf of Mexico. As we used to say while on small boat duty, "we are required to go out to sea, but we are not required to return." On the other hand, none of us was given permission by our commanding officer or chief to get hurt of killed.

I used to get somewhat miffed at the amount of publicity and attention that those in the aviation branches get over the much larger force of seagoing officers and enlisted sailors who take care of the daily drudgery and human drama that happens far too often while people are attempting to earn their living from the ever changing and unforgiving environment of the sea. But, the media likes that kind of high visual drama. The Officer of the Day won't spend a dime of the money it takes to fire up a sophisticated, multi-million dollar aircraft and risk a group of highly trained aviation personnel without some definite attainable mission. When things go wrong out there in the middle of nowhere, they can go wrong very fast. Many times a radio call to the USCG is all that stands between Davy Jones' locker and some more time spent on this earth with your family and friends. How much is it worth? Just ask any victim of circumstance who has spotted the red, white and blue stripes of a Coast Guard rescue. There are no words to describe it when a set of strong hands reaches for you and you hear those welcome words, "I'm with the U. S. Coast Guard. I'm here to help you." The relief is overwhelming.

When USCG pilots and enlisted swimmers go to sea, they have only a very limited time to affect a rescue, usually governed by fuel, load, weather, and yes, sometimes even luck. The job they do out there is supposed to be mostly routine. But, when the pilot announces it's time to leave the scene, you leave the scene. There is no question. It's either that or the people in the aircraft face a high risk of death. Every move the crew makes is full of life and death decisions that will determine the fate of not only those they are rescuing, but the personnel on the aircraft as well. Just one small error is all it takes for everyone in an operation to have a very bad day. So, all Coast Guard training is intentionally difficult to account for those variables.

This motion picture, "The Defection of Simas Kudirka (1978)" and a hand full of other films are a testament to the training, dedication to duty and the constant attention and work by the maintenance personnel that keep the helicopters, airplanes, small boats and cutters operating smoothly and safely to accomplish the over 200 mandated missions of the U. S. Coast Guard every hour of every day.

First, let me say that I've directed low budget Old West street plays for fairs and events and that I've done a few films in my time. That being said, I would not have been very comfortable with the outcome of this project.

We knew this was going to be what appeared to be a weekend production by a relatively new director, actors and crew when we saw the modern grip sole pattern clearly visible on the boots of one of the actors in the first fight scene. Not much time was taken to age or research the clothing, most of which appeared as if it had been purchased the previous day from an outfitter I know in Tucson. The horse saddles and rigs were so new looking you could practically identify the brand of coating on the leather. And, all through the production, we spotted items that were anomalous to the late 1800's. However, the weapons and Colt pistols appeared to be used and reasonable looking if only the actors had known how to fake a recoil when shooting blanks.

Generally speaking, there are moments and scenes in this film that work as a story of people of the Old West who did not really take themselves too seriously. However, there were so many mistakes in the production and the story line that you had to marvel at the ingenuity needed to pull off the project on what was obviously a low budget, student level film. I've seen local student films at Watsons School of Film here in Nashville that either compare favorably with, or thoroughly outclass this production. Many of the actors gave us the impression of being weekend reenactors who had been given a film opportunity.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed watching simply so that I could learn more about what does and doesn't work on these type productions. Most of the actors had enough chops that, given time and direction, they could have pulled off some very convincing characterizations. For that effort, most of them deserve to be commended for committing themselves to the part for some level of realism.

All in all, had I been the producer, I think it might have been much easier to simplify the story line, dispense with scenes that needed a town or backdrops that were obviously modern, and invest in some better establishing shots and quality lighting and reflection equipment. With those kinds of changes, this production could have been shot to play just like a high budget project by a major studio.

No, not the absolute best movie that could have been made given the resources available to the film makers, but definitely a different approach for a relatively new format - i.e. 3D IMAX size. Compared to some the things that had been done by Douglas Trumbull for the likes of Universal at a very high budget, this motion picture was quite passable for a production done on the cusp of the CGI era. And, IMAX had a tendency to hire actors who were capable of telling the story rather than distracting from the ultimate goal of education.

Let me warn you that the subject matter is educational and meant to evoke some of the possible theories and realities of palaeontology. Much of what IMAX produced for decades filled in the scientific genre of big screen learning before the Discovery Channel had hit its stride. The producers were very limited by the size of the equipment and the resultant technologies needed to bring this very expensive experience to the very large screen. These days, of course, you can do a 3D motion picture using a film camera that practically fits in the palm of the hand.

Now on to something I'll bet very few folks recognize in the story line. Listen to Ally's experience in the museum, and some of you may realize that she is either a full blown diabetic or somewhere on the edge. Many kids have this problem, and it's a real limiting factor when you go out there on a professional dig where it's possible to get lost in the canyons of the west when being overtaken by low blood sugar. It clearly explains why her father is reticent to take her on a dig. Despite his seeming distraction with work, he really does care about his daughter's well being.

Finally, I want to thank the film makers for the location of their shoot. Anyone who dares to travel the badlands of Alberta, Canada, will not regret taking a trip to Drumheller to see the world's greatest palaeontology museum, The Royal Tyrell. We've never seen anything that gets near to the quality of displays and historical information as this amazing organization. Both my wife and I have been to all the filming sites used in the motion picture, including the preparation rooms (minus the little changes they made for the film). It brought back some incredible adventures to our memory. It's the only place I know of where a walk of 100 feet will transport you one million years into the past.