Leave it to action director Andrew Davis to drum up the pace for "The Guardian", a flick about an elite coast-guard rescue team.

His swift and furious style in past hits such as "Under Siege" and "The Fugitive" made Davis a trustworthy name when it comes to making movies with plenty of stunts and explosions.

But if you want accuracy, "The Guardian" will have plenty of goof-ups. Davis makes action, not accuracy, his priority.

In top billing are Kevin Costner, as an instructor who's lost his crew, and Ashton Kutcher as a rookie on the squad learning the tricks of the trade.

Both actors are engaging, but Kutcher, who is better known for comic roles, appears somewhat miscast.

For Costner, it's a chance to climb back to superstar status. His last directorial effort, "Open Range", was critically acclaimed but never made it to theatres worldwide.

In Bangkok there was absolutely no attempt to show it, partly because it ran more than two hours.

Costner has tried not to be bitter about the lack of support from distributors, and said in a recent interview that his preferred genre remains the Western.

To be sure, some of his best work was in "Silverado", "Dances With Wolves" and "Wyatt Earp". He is most at home when doing raw gunfight sequences or seeking adventure in the open frontier.

In "Waterworld", he played another lonesome cowboy, this time with gills and webbed feet. Until then he could do no wrong. "Waterworld" has hailed for its global-warming overtones and a wacky performance by Dennis Hopper.

It was "The Postman" that sank Costner, once Hollywood's top star. He has not had much success since then.

"The Guardian" is probably not going to help propel him back to the top, but it's a step up after the shameful global boycott of "Open Range".

Now approaching 52, Costner is no longer the glamour boy he was when he started out in the early '80s.

For that sort of thing, "The Guardian" offers Kutcher the beefcake role. Perhaps his worst problem is that he's known to the tabloid media only as Demi Moore's boyfriend.

Playing the tough trainer of elite swimmers, Costner is convincing, but in the rush to focus in on the action, Davis spoils the film's authenticity.

The diving suits used in some scenes, for example, are not meant for extreme temperatures, like the almost sub-zero waters of the Bering Sea, where the action takes place.

As in James Cameron's "Titanic", Davis does not quite comprehend how deadly cold water can get. Let's hope Costner gets lucky with his next flick. In "Tin Cup" he showed a flair for comedy and a softer side that audiences would love to see again.

By Hanuman