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.

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.

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.

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.

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.