FINESTKIND (2023) - Movie Review

Director: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Writer: Brian Helgeland
Runtime: 126 min
Rated: R for pervasive language, some violence, drug material and sexual content.
Buy This Movie: DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

This blog is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on my blog, I may earn an affiliate commission.

Synopsis:

Finestkind tells the story of two brothers (Ben Foster & Toby Wallace), raised in different worlds, who are reunited as adults over a fateful summer. Set against the backdrop of commercial fishing, the story takes on primal stakes when desperate circumstances force the brothers to strike a deal with a violent Boston crime gang. Along the way, a young woman (Jenna Ortega) finds herself caught perilously in the middle. Sacrifices must be made and bonds between brothers, friends, lovers, and a father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his son are put to the ultimate test.

Review:

Writer/director Brian Helgeland's passion project "Finestkind" has been in the works for almost 30 years. Back in 1995, when Helgeland wrote the script, Heath Ledger was attached to star, but the project remained dormant until 2018 when it was revived with Jake Gyllenhaal, Ansel Elgort and Zendaya set to star. However, the project once again fell apart and went back on the shelf until in 2022 Paramount+ acquired the rights to the film and it finally went into production. In the end, was it worth all the trouble ?

After 30 years in the making, you would expect a movie like this to be in the best possible shape, especially considering the caliber of the Oscar-winning writer whose credits include "Mystic River", "L.A. Confidential", "Legend", "Payback" and "Man on Fire". Years and years of fine tuning should have resulted in the best iteration of this script, and yet "Finestkind" is a mess riddled with lackluster dialogue, pacing issues and plot holes.

Helgeland can't seem to decide if it's a family drama, or a crime thriller. At least half of the film is about two brothers finding each other, both drawn to the allure of the open sea, while also coming to terms with their own family issues, broken dreams and false hopes. But then it veers steeply into "Breaking Bad" territory for a third act that almost feels like an entirely different movie. And I'm sad to report the latter is actually the most engaging part of "Finestkind".

The cast is okay and do decent work with what they're given. Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster and Jenna Ortega are the most effective in the film, and Clayne Crawford is a lot of fun chewing scenery as a slimy drug dealer. A few other elements elevate the film, including the cinematography, which is most effective in the scenes shot at sea, and another great score by the amazing Carter Burwell.

"Finestkind" is a frustrating movie. You can almost feel a really great movie struggling to claw its way out, but all we get is this middle-of-the-road misfire. It's one of Helgeland's most underwhelming efforts, long and unfocused, but the promise of what could have been does make it somewhat watchable.

SCORE: 6/10