Finestkind

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 is a very good picture, one that has quickly become one of my favorite this year. It is not an action movie, far from it, and not a crime story either. It is all about human emotions, and how we deal with them. Don't make me wrong: it is quite slow in development (of the story), but grows and grows, and gradually grows on you. By the time it ends, you feel emotionally lifted. All the attributes of a good movie are there: the production value is first class, the acting is impeccable as so is the direction, with the editing and the score not far behind. If you liked 'Fathers and Daughters' (2015), this project is definitely for you.

So, I just watched Finestkind and oh boy, do I have thoughts. Ive never seen a movie try to do so much with so little that wasn't also a CG fest. There are potentially two good movies in here, but tye mashing up of the family melo drama and the crime hiest thriller comes off as comical, insincere, and muddled. I was following the making of this for some time since I heard Jenna Ortega and Tommy Lee Jones were attached, little that I know this was 25 years in the making, cost the film crew thousands in lost equipment and injuries, and had several names attached to it. I do like the cinematography, the Whale footage was nice, but like, this isnt a documentary, it was supposed to be an engaging film about what happnes in the in-between when were born and when we die. This was directed by the guy who wrote Man on Fire (Which probably explains why Jenna was attached) and directed Mystic River! This had all the makings of a hit... what happend!? Ugh. Ill still buy the DVD for my collection, but I'm not watching this again.

Ps. The romantic subplot in this would give a Disney princess whiplash with how fast it happened.

They had me at Ben Foster and Tommy Lee Jones. I'd watch either of them act out a bread recipe over anything Hollywood has put out the last 20 years.

Anyone else who has lived long enough to understand that statement will probably like this movie. Others, not so much.

I read somewhere this was a made for TV movie. I couldn't tell. The quality was big screen worthy.

Also, real fishermen may or may not find fault with the technicalities. (I was in the medical profession and find medical inconsistencies on film yank me out of the required suspension of disbelief easily so I avoid those types of movies.)I enjoyed the glimpse into the fishing lifestyle.

It was a decently strong story, good acting,good cinematography, and decent directing. Not as strong as the movie "The Perfect Storm" but still a very worthy watch.

P. S. BTW, for people dissing on the accents.....Ben Foster is from Massachusetts.

Who would be so ridiculous as to commit a serious crime to pay a fine for a serious crime? Fishermen, it seems. The point here, though, is to show the romantic pull of a life of fishing and, perhaps more importantly, the inexhaustible love of a father for his son. Despite the critics, the dialogue and the acting was fine, especially by Clayne Crawford as the chief bad guy and Tommy Lee Jones as an old fisherman. It's got the Taylor Sheridan touch, too. Not a great film, but the scenes of the New Bedford harbor and the handling of a catch of scallops added to a story replete with plot holes and characters who should know better.