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.

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.

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.

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.

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.