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Finestkind

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Finestkind
Official release poster
Directed byBrian Helgeland
Written byBrian Helgeland
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCrille Forsberg
Edited byStuart Levy
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
companies
  • 101 Studios
  • Bosque Ranch Productions
  • Between Two Trees Entertainment
Distributed byParamount+
Release dates
  • September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08) (TIFF)
  • December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15)
Running time
126 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Finestkind is a 2023 American crime thriller film written and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, and Tommy Lee Jones.[2][3][4][5]

Plot

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On a visit to New Bedford, Massachusetts, college alumnus Charlie pays a visit to his elder half-brother Tom Eldrige, a scallop fisherman. Disillusioned with his systematic life, he asks Tom to take him on his upcoming fishing excursion, which he reluctantly agrees to. Sailing out on Ray’s boat, the Harmony, Charlie is introduced to the crew – Nunes a.k.a “Nunesy”, family man Costa, and drug-addict Skeemo. Hours into the voyage, Harmony suffers an explosion on rough seas, causing it to sink; the crew narrowly survives.

Upon being rescued the following morning, the five go to a bar to celebrate their ordeal, where Charlie encounters Mabel, a small-time drug dealer. His wealthy father, Gary Sykes, who tracks him down, attempts to convince him against fishing, but is bluntly rebuffed. Later, the brothers visit Tom’s employers; there, both Tom and his egotistic boss accuse each other of incompetence, which leads to a brawl, causing Tom to be fired.

Later, Tom is approached by his aging father, Ray, who requests him to take his boat, the Finestkind, on a dredging excursion in his stead, which Tom reluctantly acquiesces to. Later, at a house party hosted by Costa, Tom informs the others of the assignment; whilst there, Mabel takes Charlie for a drug-run, during which he meets her skeptical mother. After the meeting ends poorly, he crashes at Mabel’s apartment, where the two share a passionate night. Waking up late the next day, the two learn that Tom is about to leave without him, in response, Mabel rushes Charlie to the harbor, barely making it to the Finestkind just before it departs. At sea, Tom decides to take the boat to discreetly fish in Canadian waters in the hopes of securing more lucrative catches. The gambit nearly succeeds, but the boat accidentally ensnares itself in its fishing dredge just as a Canadian aircraft locates them, prematurely ending the excursion.

Returning to port, the Finestkind is seized by U.S. authorities, much to the crew’s dismay. Resolving to tell Ray of the incident, the two learn he is hospitalized with terminal stomach cancer – the actual reason for his absence. Not wanting his father to die without his beloved boat, Tom approaches his former employers to bail him out on the $100,000 fine that had been conditioned for the boat’s release, but is scornfully rejected. Sympathetic to their plight, Mabel arranges for the crew to participate in a one-time heroin smuggling gig with Weeks, her mother’s partner. Despite the crew’s acceptance, Tom fears of being caught, but is convinced otherwise.

The crew sail out to the drop spot, where a plane delivers the heroin. Returning to port, the brothers head off alone to meet Weeks, but are cornered by a rival drug team, who make away with the heroin after subduing them. Realizing they had been betrayed, Tom accuses Mabel of snitching on them, leading to a fight, which is witnessed by Ray. Consequently, Weeks corners the crew at Costa’s home, having taken Costa’s pregnant wife hostage. He forces them to deliver the heroin by the following morning, promising them death should they fail; he reveals that he had assaulted Mabel.

After they leave, the crew helps Costa’s wife, whereupon Tom disappears. Whilst searching for him, Ray corners Charlie, who divulges their quagmire. The next morning, Charlie meets Nunesy, who tells him that Tom had taken a pistol with him to see Skeemo. Realizing Skeemo was the snitch, Charlie races over to his place, arriving just as Tom is about to execute him. Nevertheless, Charlie manages to convince him otherwise, opting to take their chances instead. Elsewhere, Ray appears at Weeks’ meeting point with an offer of $15,000 in exchange for leaving the crew alone. When Weeks refuses and proceeds to mock him, Ray shoots and kills him and two associates, just as the brothers arrive. Ray explains to an emotionally-moved Tom that he would do anything to save him.

Gary agrees to pay the fine on the boat, realizing he cannot change his son, whilst Mabel prepares to enter college. Finally free, the crew prepare to sail on the Finestkind once more, while an incarcerated, yet happy, Ray watches from a distance.

Cast

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Production

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In 2018, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ansel Elgort and Zendaya were attached to star in the film.[11]

In April 2022, it was announced that Paramount+ had acquired the rights to the film.[12][13] Filming began in New Bedford, Massachusetts in April 2022.[14][15] That same month, it was announced that Tim Daly, Clayne Crawford, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar and Lolita Davidovich had been added to the cast.[16] Meghan Leathers also joined the cast in April 2022.[10] Filming was completed in May 2022.[17]

Some of the crew have made claims of not getting paid, and injury while on set.[18]

Release

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The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023,[19] and was added to the Paramount+ catalogue on December 15, 2023.[20] The Malayalam film Kondal is an unofficial remake of this movie.

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 30% of 30 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10.[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Finestkind (15)". BBFC. January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Vlessing, Etan (April 5, 2022). "Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega to Star in Crime Drama 'Finestkind'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Slane, Kevin (April 8, 2022). "A new movie starring Tommy Lee Jones begins filming in Mass. this month". Boston.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Celebretainment (April 7, 2022). "Tommy Lee Jones among stars cast in Finestkind". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Barbuto, Dana (May 2, 2022). "Hollywood hot spots: Tommy Lee Jones movie 'Finestkind' shooting in Scituate and Weymouth". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Grobar, Matt (April 21, 2022). "Paramount+'s 'Finestkind' Adds Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich & Clayne Crawford". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2022). "Paramount+ Crime Thriller 'Finestkind' Adds Ismael Cruz Cordova". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Grobar, Matt (May 5, 2022). "Fernanda Andrade Joins Paramount+'s 'Finestkind'; 'The Throwback' Adds Michelle Randolph". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Grobar, Matt (May 9, 2022). "'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Pete Gardner Joins 'Harold And The Purple Crayon'; Paramount+'s 'Finestkind' Adds Charlie Thurston". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (April 25, 2022). "Meghan Leathers Joins Paramount+ Crime Thriller 'Finestkind'; Universal's Holiday Thriller 'Violent Night' Adds André Eriksen". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 5, 2022). "Paramount+ Picks Up Crime Thriller 'Finestkind' Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace & Jenna Ortega". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Massoto, Erick (April 5, 2022). "'Finestkind': Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster Crime Thriller Acquired by Paramount+". Collider. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Welk, Brian (April 5, 2022). "Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster Thriller 'Finestkind' Acquired by Paramount+". TheWrap. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Pereira, Peter (April 14, 2022). "Filming of Finestkind begins in New Bedford". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Chitwood, Seth (April 20, 2022). "Hollywood movie begins filming in Fairhaven on Wednesday — here's what to know". The Herald News. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Chitwood, Seth (April 22, 2022). "Filming continues for 'Finestkind' in Fairhaven — and another big star joins the cast". The Standard-Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Chitwood, Seth (June 7, 2022). "'We've grown to love the community': 'Finestkind' completes filming in New Bedford". The Standard Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Working on "Finestkind" movie in New Bedford was "complete nightmare" as film crew alledgely injured and never paid". New Bedford Guide. November 3, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Vlessing, Etan (August 10, 2023). "Finestkind by Jenna Ortega, Daddio by Dakota Johnson added to Toronto Film Festival lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Taylor, Drew (October 26, 2023). "Taylor Sheridan and Tommy Lee Jones Finally Collide in 'Finestkind' Trailer (Video)". The Wrap. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  21. ^ "Finestkind". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 9, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  22. ^ "Finestkind". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
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