Ben Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jenna Ortega all give outstanding performances, but the movie is among the worst of the year.
Brian Helgeland is the writer and director of Finestkind, his first picture since the uneven “Legend” from 2015. The movie narrates the tale of a fishing family that becomes embroiled in a major drug trade and is helpless to get out of it.
From that vantage point, the film sounds and feels similar to many others over the years, but odd creative choices and a disorganised screenplay give the impression that the film is a complete mess. This might be Helgeland’s worst movie ever, in my opinion.
Review of Finestkind Movie: Script Evaluation
Howdy, dolly! Finestkind is one of those odd films where you know that something went wrong during the narrative process, from the director’s inner vision to the script and finally to the final product of the film. Nobody disputes that making films is a challenging endeavour, but that doesn’t absolve a film that drags on for more than two hours without a clear idea of what it wants to be or why we, the viewers, should care.
The film’s opening ten minutes, which force us to watch a pointless opening sequence and dull character introductions, as well as terrible editing that suggests the director doesn’t even like his own work, starkly highlight the issues with the rest of the picture.
The film settles into a rhythm where we just follow the main character through a few situations that don’t really feel justified because it lacks strong characters to follow. Only towards the end of the film does the story provide a fitting inciting incident.
This kind of structure is confusing from every aspect because, in order for a story to feel relevant and worthwhile to tell, one of the most crucial choices a writer or director must make is where to start their narrative.
For the majority of the film’s running length, Finestkind appears to be searching for the inciting incident; however, it is only discovered towards the end. But by then, the majority of the audience will have become disinterested in the narrative.
Helgeland appears fortunate to have Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ben Foster, but regrettably, the performers’ abilities are not utilised to any significant degree. The story ultimately decides to end when it reaches a suitable inciting incident because it is not worthwhile to continue with the fallout from such an action.
This feels a little disappointing coming from the man who directed amazing films like 42 and A Knight’s Tale, as it is the strangest film structure I have seen all year.
Review of Finestkind Movie: Standout Performance
Because of Jenna Ortega’s celebrity, the majority of people will see this film; if that’s the only reason you plan to see it, you may not be as let down as I was. When Jenna Ortega is on screen, the movie seems better than it actually is, demonstrating her strong on-screen presence.
One of the greatest actors of our time, Tommy Lee Jones, seems underutilised in scenes that are primarily dramatic. These scenes give the impression that Tommy Lee Jones is wasting his acting talent and give the impression that the film is taking itself too seriously.
Review of Finestkind the Movie
Review of Finestkind Movie: Direction, Scoring
One of the film’s weakest aspects may be the direction, as Helgeland seems to lack vision, or at the very least, he can’t seem to put his ideas into practice. This is very unfortunate because Helgeland has the potential to be a very good director when he so chooses.
It appears that he attempted to follow in Taylor Sheridan’s footsteps, but was unsuccessful because the film lacks any substance. Even though you know what to expect when you watch a Taylor Sheridan production, the way the concepts are executed makes up for any feeling of familiarity.
Carter Burwell, who has worked with Helgeland on several projects, also composed a score that is rather forgettable, which is odd given that Burwell has produced some incredibly amazing scores for the Coen Brothers and other directors.
This time, Burwell doesn’t seem to be motivated to advance his own skill, which may simply be a result of Helgeland’s lack of a clear project vision.
Review of Finestkind Movie: The Final Word
Due to its lack of creativity and substance, Finestkind is among the most dull films of the year. Ben Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Jenna Ortega, and other talented actors are among the cast, but none of them can elevate the level of this incredibly convoluted and uninspired story, which at times feels like it is moving along on autopilot.
Because of Jenna Ortega’s star power, a lot of people will probably watch the film; however, she has since made better films, so spending time on this one seems largely pointless.