Finestkind

Starring: Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:A crew of fisherman work hard to survive, but face dangerous decisions when their livelihood is threatened.

Review:

Tim: Brian Helgeland's Finestkind is an odd movie. As writer/director, he gets credit for the positives and absolutely deserves condemnation for the many missteps. In my mind, this really feels like two different films. The first half I really loved. The second half never felt believable and is quite frankly, pretty bad. That adds up to an underwhelming movie that could have been significantly better.

I really did enjoy the first half of the movie. Films about fisherman are so intriguing to me- you have (mostly) men risking their lives by sailing out onto the ocean, in search of fish. There's plenty of dangers and challenges in their way. It's a hard life, where work ethic and loyalty are everything. This world is fascinating and we need more movies that show us this life. The first half of the movie does this superbly, while also introducing us to intriguing, deep characters that hold our attention. The focus on character development, the dramatic turns of their lives, their hopes and fears- it's all so interesting. I loved getting to know these characters and the way their world operates. It's so good.

Then, the movie takes a turn. And, I'm assuming this was all intentional- once we get to know these characters, their lives hit a period of upheaval as they make desperation decisions to save their ship and their chance to continue fishing. The movie takes a bizarre turn towards the criminal world. This is where the film falters. I never really believed this. It feels like such an abrupt shift for the worse. The movie turns into a lackluster crime thriller and all I could do was lament the loss of the character-driven drama. The second half of the movie is pretty bad and all you can do is watch as these characters you became invested in spiral out in a ridiculous crime story. I see what Helgeland was trying to do (I think) and I appreciate the ambitious effort, but it simply doesn't work. I watched the back half of the movie, desperate for it to abandon the stupid crime plot and go back to a drama. The film would have been much better if the script didn't take this turn.

I was also bummed by this because the cast is mostly great. I love Ben Foster, and as always, he delivers a superb performance. He's believable in this role, he's crusty, tough as nails, but has a true heart underneath that exterior. He sells this performance so seemingly effortlessly- it's such a strong performance. I always love seeing Tommy Lee Jones and he gives a creditable, worthwhile performance. He's always been a great supporting actor and that's true here. Jenna Ortega definitely has something special and it's been fun to see her rise. This film won't do much for her, but she gives a solid performance that felt authentic and interesting. She makes her character feel real, full of flaws, but complex and believable. You can see why her star will continue to rise. Tim Daly and Lolita Davidovich add nice supporting performances. Ismael Cruz Cordova is really effective, and I always love seeing Aaron Stanford. He's quite good in this film, too. As I said, the crime story never really works, but Clayne Crawford is wonderfully menacing in his role. He's definitely memorable.

I do want to spend a bit of time talking about Toby Wallace. He's really the protagonist of the film. I have to admit, I didn't get it. You have Foster, Ortega, Jones, Daly, and then you have Toby Wallace. There's a massive drop off in talent. Why was Wallace cast in such a prominent role? He seems like a true supporting actor- someone who delivers three or four lines and then you can forget him and get back to characters you care about. His performance is fine, but consistently underwhelming. Maybe with a lesser cast around him, his deficiencies might seem less glaring, but he gets the most screen time and he was always underwhelming. I never really believed his performance. His interactions with Foster were pretty bad- I never bought their relationship for a single second. In fairness, Wallace has some nice, quieter moments with Ortega. They worked well together. But, as a whole, I felt like Wallace was woefully miscast.

As writer/director, Helgeland can obviously do whatever he wants and this is the story he wanted to tell. That's fine, but it just does not work. Without the weird crime turn, it felt like this could have been a powerful, memorable drama. The film is well shot- the cinematography is great, the technical aspects of the film are all strong. Great performances by the cast could have differentiated this film from the crowded marketplace. As such, though, it's a totally forgettable crime drama that arguably isn't worth our time. Sure, the movie isn't bad. But, the elements were in place for this to easily be good, if not even better. Sadly, that doesn't happen here. Helgeland has always been a bit of a hit-or-miss director. Finestkind was so close to being a hit, but sadly, it's weird swerve causes it to miss the target.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Perfect Storm, The Finest Hours, The Peanut Butter Falcon