Finestkind

Quite a slowburning, bleak and depressive story, that is certainly not suited for the casual viewer who might be (wrongfully) expecting some sort of fun action thriller, which it is definitely not and was never meant to be either...

The good: Tommy Lee Jones steals the show with his stellar performance as the father of a son (Ben Foster) in dire money troubles. But as magnificent the performance of mister Tommy Lee Jones may be, actor Ben Foster just didnt cut it in the dramatic scenes, in which he (and all the other actors for that matter) failed to deliver true drama.

True drama needs credible acting performances from ALL the actors concerned. Now we have only Tommy Lee Jones performance to deliver true drama, but his role (however important) was of a supporting nature, which makes us viewers have to deal with other leading actors who fail to impress.

I have been waiting for this movie for over a year. It was stuck in post-production for some time and was finally released a few days ago.

The truth is, I had high expectations for the story, especially from a writer/director of Helgeland's level.

I don't know what he originally had in mind, but he has put two films in one here. On the one hand, it's a family drama; on the other, it's a drug deal gone wrong that doesn't make a good transition and, on top of that, an almost unnecessary love story.

It has a somewhat OK third act, which has enough tension but raises many questions.

On the good side now. The cinematography is excellent, and the transitions between city and sea scenes work nicely. The cast is well chosen, and for the most part, the actors know where they need to be. And, of course, the two strongest cards of the film are Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster in the role of father and son.

Although it's a nearly three-decade-old project, it could have been executed way better, especially when the person working on it has such an impressive track record under his belt.

I give it a 6/10, mainly due to acting.

This movie is a boyz movie. It's about brotherhood, friendship, role models. The first half of the movie is about the process of belonging. Any guy who ever wanted, craved, hoped to belong to a gang of guys-who they deem tougher, wiser, stronger-will identify. Don't wait for explosions, don't wait for cheap thrills. Enjoy the process. Get dirty with the fishermen. That's what the movie captures very well. The second half is about nerves. That's when it becomes a thriller in more known territory. It's not a bad thriller, and you actually care for all characters. There are good actors, excellent cinematography and camera work. I liked the movie. Reviews and critics aren't doing justice to it.

All the people literally hating on that movie for reasons that are so out of place, blow my mind. I read on review where the someone said that there is "bad acting". Oh boy, i simply dont know if we watched the same movie. The Veterans TLJ and Ben Foster deliver a stellar Performance which is very much believable and honest. But the other guys also give it their all, delivering a variety of emotions and had me liking and rooting for them more than I should have. The Movie is like many before me said, a slow burner, which for some people could be demotivating to watch. They could have cut some parts out which would have given the Movie the right pace where it was needed. But even though its very slow, the director managed to create intensity and suspense. I liked it. I would recommend it. Maybe not to everybody I know, but certainly to people that like the Portrayal of human emotion. Rating: 7.1.

This was a good movie. Fall River/New Bedford aren't the normal NE fishing towns. This flick dives in and shows us how people get sucked into "the suck" and love every moment of it. It was a good not particularly great movie. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't take themselves too seriously. Jenna did a nice job of encapsulating the areas culture. She was a good choice for a fisherman's gal and daughter of a broken house.

All in all it's worth a watch and a 7 rating. I'd wait till it's on Netflix or Prime though. I think 5.8 which it is currently at is a bit too low. What do you think?