Finestkind

Who would be so ridiculous as to commit a serious crime to pay a fine for a serious crime? Fishermen, it seems. The point here, though, is to show the romantic pull of a life of fishing and, perhaps more importantly, the inexhaustible love of a father for his son. Despite the critics, the dialogue and the acting was fine, especially by Clayne Crawford as the chief bad guy and Tommy Lee Jones as an old fisherman. It's got the Taylor Sheridan touch, too. Not a great film, but the scenes of the New Bedford harbor and the handling of a catch of scallops added to a story replete with plot holes and characters who should know better.

Quite a slowburning, bleak and depressive story, that is certainly not suited for the casual viewer who might be (wrongfully) expecting some sort of fun action thriller, which it is definitely not and was never meant to be either...

The good: Tommy Lee Jones steals the show with his stellar performance as the father of a son (Ben Foster) in dire money troubles. But as magnificent the performance of mister Tommy Lee Jones may be, actor Ben Foster just didnt cut it in the dramatic scenes, in which he (and all the other actors for that matter) failed to deliver true drama.

True drama needs credible acting performances from ALL the actors concerned. Now we have only Tommy Lee Jones performance to deliver true drama, but his role (however important) was of a supporting nature, which makes us viewers have to deal with other leading actors who fail to impress.

All these critics and people on here are bagging this film. I get it, you want action, twists, a plot that goes along quickly and more, more, more. Well don't watch this movie then. Simple really.

If you approach a film with the right mindset (like this one) and don't expect to be blown away you can actually enjoy its nuance, acting and glimpse into sea fishing. I enjoyed it for those reasons. It's definitely a meandering film with some scenes not driving anywhere - they're there instead to develop characters.

This film is a character family drama with a small crime element. It's mis marketed in my opinion. Just watch it causally and enjoy the acting. And for the bad scenes that don't really work, just appreciate it for what it is. Good acting. 6.4/10.

I have been waiting for this movie for over a year. It was stuck in post-production for some time and was finally released a few days ago.

The truth is, I had high expectations for the story, especially from a writer/director of Helgeland's level.

I don't know what he originally had in mind, but he has put two films in one here. On the one hand, it's a family drama; on the other, it's a drug deal gone wrong that doesn't make a good transition and, on top of that, an almost unnecessary love story.

It has a somewhat OK third act, which has enough tension but raises many questions.

On the good side now. The cinematography is excellent, and the transitions between city and sea scenes work nicely. The cast is well chosen, and for the most part, the actors know where they need to be. And, of course, the two strongest cards of the film are Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster in the role of father and son.

Although it's a nearly three-decade-old project, it could have been executed way better, especially when the person working on it has such an impressive track record under his belt.

I give it a 6/10, mainly due to acting.

This movie is a boyz movie. It's about brotherhood, friendship, role models. The first half of the movie is about the process of belonging. Any guy who ever wanted, craved, hoped to belong to a gang of guys-who they deem tougher, wiser, stronger-will identify. Don't wait for explosions, don't wait for cheap thrills. Enjoy the process. Get dirty with the fishermen. That's what the movie captures very well. The second half is about nerves. That's when it becomes a thriller in more known territory. It's not a bad thriller, and you actually care for all characters. There are good actors, excellent cinematography and camera work. I liked the movie. Reviews and critics aren't doing justice to it.