DVD Corner

Not Without Hope DVD Review

“Not Without Hope” is an odd departure for Joe Carnahan. 

Based on the nonfiction book by Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman, “Not Without Hope” is a survival thriller penned by Joe Carnahan and E. Nicholas Mariani. The true story based film takes place in 2009 in which 4 friends Nick Schuyler, Will Bleakley, and Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith (both former NFL players) go deep sea fishing off the Florida coast. Tragically, the 4 men get caught in a storm that causes their boat to capsize. The 4 men cling to the bottom of the boat with the hope of being rescued, but unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending.

Director Joe Carnahan is well known for his violent (and sometimes quirky) crime thrillers like “Narc,” “Smokin’ Aces” and the recent “The Rip.” With “Not Without Hope,” the filmmaker does a complete 180 with this faith-based true story survival thriller of 4 men lost at sea during a storm. While it’s admirable to see Carnahan try something new in the film world, this a simplistic by-the-numbers retelling of a tragic story. 

“Not Without Hope” attempts to be a gripping and respectful take on this story of survival, hope, and resilience, but the script lets it down. There’s far too much clunky dialogue being bandied out complete with the corny motto “I get strong, you get strong, we get strong” that is repeated over and over. The respective family members are barely focused on outside of a few scenes of concern and or making calls or waiting for them. We also never learn much about who these 4 men are outside of some of their occupations and brief conversations. In typical biodrama fashion, the end credits featuring real footage of the people and rescue is more insightful than the overlong film itself. 

Going back to Carnahan for a moment, he and cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz go for a visceral approach here to give viewers the sensation that they are on the boat or in the water along with the characters. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it feels like it works better in theory. The night scenes also come across as way too choppy at times.

Cast wise, Josh Duhamel and Zachary Levi (don’t ask me why he’s in this) are the big names here, but relative unknowns Quentin Plair, Terrence Terrell and Marshall Cook as Marquis, Corey, and Will turned in the stronger performances here.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1. Grade: B

Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. Grade: A-

The lone extra is a trailer. 

March 17, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Joe Carnahan, Josh Duhamel, Not Without Hope DVD Review, Not Without Hope Movie, True Story, Zachary Levi