FINESTKIND
Starring: Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Aaron Stanford, Clayne Crawford, and Tommy Lee Jones
Director: Brian Helgeland
NICK
What did I just watch? Finestkind begins as a fairly straightforward story about brotherhood and fishing boats that seems to be building into an indie-feeling family drama, anchored by strong performances from Ben Foster and Toby Wallace. Then, about halfway through, it evolves into… some attempt at a crime thriller, with the tone making a complete 180. Perhaps the second half would have worked if it started that way, and I think there is a chance the first half would have worked had it stayed on track; however, put it together, and all you have is a mess.
QUENTIN
Though not quite the crime thriller it’s marketed as, Finestkind is a decent enough experience due to its workman-like presentation and solid performances, particularly from Ben Foster, Clayne Crawford, and Tommy Lee Jones (who, thankfully, does not attempt a Boston accent). Tonally, it’s a bit inconsistent, with the first and second halves feeling like they come from two different scripts, but as an A-to-B story, the beats mostly make sense and are organic. Overall, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. Mostly, I’m just disappointed that Ben Foster was once again relegated to a straight-to-streaming movie that few people will see.
PAIGE
Finestkind is a tonal and narrative mess, and it seems to have no idea what it wants to be. The first half functions as a family drama following two brothers, played by Ben Foster and Toby Wallace, who were raised on two completely different walks of life, while the second half transitions into a crime thriller. Despite that sounding intriguing and being something that could have worked, director Brian Helgeland can’t rope these two plot ideas together to flow narratively well. Honestly, what keeps this film afloat are its performances.
This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.