Finestkind
Writer/director Brian Helgeland’s venturesome nautical crime drama is the vessel for a deeper conversation on male relationships.
Outward Bound: Toby Wallace and Ben Foster
Image courtesy of Paramount+
Directed from a script he wrote in his late 20s, Finestkind pays homage to writer/director Brian Helgeland’s fishing foundations. Prior to his career as a filmmaker Helgeland spent nearly two years working in the commercial fishing trade post-college. In a convergence of his forefathers’ line of work and his, the story honours all the Helgeland men who farmed the sea before him, along with his own scalloping experience. Set in his hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the script places autobiographical elements into the framework of a crime narrative. The title, apart from being the name of a boat, derives from an expression of the trade. Depending on how a fisherman decides to use it, the phrase can interchangeably mean anything from ‘cool’ to ‘shuck you’.
The long-gestating passion project once had Helgeland’s muse Heath Ledger attached, with Ledger planning to age into the role of the older brother. Then in February of 2018, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ansel Elgort, and Zendaya were announced to star, but production delays eventually led to further casting changes. Over 30 years after writing the initial draft, Helgeland’s Finestkind finally arrives on Paramount+ this week. The story unites estranged half-brothers for a summer of scalloping aboard a commercial boat in America’s most lucrative fishing port. Tom (Ben Foster) reluctantly yields to Charlie’s (Toby Wallace) desire to spend some time in his big brother’s fishing bibs before heading off to law school. Initially a fish out of water, Charlie soon finds camaraderie with the crew. When Tom dips into Canadian waters for a bigger catch, he puts everything on the line — including his father Ray’s (Tommy Lee Jones) fishing vessel. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, Charlie hatches a plan with local deal broker Mabel (Jenna Ortega) to solve all of their problems.
As with Sean Durkin’s upcoming The Iron Claw, this is ultimately a story about fathers, brothers, and sons set against a traditionally tough guy backdrop (in this case commercial fishing instead of professional wrestling.) Helgeland helms a story that feels specific thanks to his time at sea. In giving space to the environment and profession, he allows the characters to be discovered through their work. As a result, the story feels authentic and grounded while out on open water, but landlocked once ashore in the third act. Although forced, the introduction of the crime conflict does create extreme circumstances which allow the men to say what needs to be said. It’s this exploration of male relationships below the surface that keeps the boat afloat, along with a fine ensemble cast as the anchor.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford.
Dir Brian Helgeland, Pro Gary Foster, David Glasser, Brian Helgeland, Russ Krasnoff, and Taylor Sheridan, Screenplay Brian Helgeland, Ph Crille Forsberg, Pro Des Richard Hoover, Ed Stuart Levy, Music Carter Burwell, Costumes Deborah Newhall.
101 Studios/Bosque Ranch Productions/Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment/MTV Entertainment Studios-Paramount+.
126 mins. USA. 2023. UK and US Rel: 15 December 2023. Cert. R.
