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‘Finestkind’ Review: Toby Wallace and Ben Foster Make a Magnetic Pair as Self-Destructive Siblings

'Mystic River' screenwriter Brian Helgeland returns to his native Massachusetts to tell an almost Shakespearean tale of half-brothers navigating their relationships with their respective dads.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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“Finestkind,” the name of both Brian Helgeland ’s new film and the high-line fishing boat Tommy Lee Jones captains within it, is one of those words that New Englanders find hard to define, but seem to have no trouble using in a sentence. It means quality — of fish, of people, of principles — and it sets the bar for the shaggy family portrait Helgeland crafts around two half-brothers wrestling with their place in the blue-collar New Bedford community.

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The movie makes a bigger deal of class than Charlie himself does. He grew up with privileges that Tom didn’t, and yet, Charlie idolizes his older brother, begging to accompany him on a fishing trip. “I’m curious about me,” he tells Tom. But their bonding experience is cut short when something explodes in the engine room and Tom’s boat sinks. Reunited at last, the siblings’ first outing together was nearly their last. But instead of being scared off by the near-death experience, Charlie doubles down (that’s actually the name of another boat they borrow). Instead of going to law school at Boston U., he wants to spend a year on the water.

Helgeland takes that goal seriously, which is admirable — the opposite of the view so many Hollywood movies preach that the only freedom kids in dead-end communities can find is leaving town for the New York or Los Angeles. Charlie wants to work with his hands, and on that aforementioned trip into Canadian waters, “Finestkind” finally hits its stride. The movie doesn’t look like much (the compositions are bland and clumsily cut together) but DP Crille Forsberg deserves credit for capturing the texture of the fishing trips: We see the crew hauling hundreds of shells onto the decks, handling the dredges and shucking the scallops by hand.

Foster is always great, coming across more mellow here than in films such as “Hell or High Water,” whose director, Taylor Sheridan, is one of this project’s producers. Wallace, who plays Charlie, appears in three films premiering in the span of one week on the fall festival circuit: “The Bikeriders,” “The Royal Hotel” and now this. He plays very different characters in each, though it’s clear from all three that he’s a star in the making. Both he and Foster are unpredictable performers, cocked and ready to spring at the slightest provocation — and yet, Helgeland leans into their sensitivity instead.

In Charlie’s case, that tenderness is brought out by a local girl, Mabel (a tough-acting Jenna Ortega), who’s mixed up with drug dealers, but wants to go to community college. The morning after these two hook up, the film sends them racing across town in her Volkswagen — a clunky scene, but one that sticks with you, as it’s one of several moments when the characters really come alive. Other beats are more obvious, as when Ray reveals that he has cancer, which gives him enough slack to be reckless (think “The Shootist”). But Helgeland still manages to surprise, especially when it comes to what Tom and Charlie’s two dads are willing to do for such reckless sons as these. If the word “finestkind” applies here, it’s to the fathers, on whom the Dream depends.

Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Galas), Sept. 8, 2023. MPA Rating: R. Running time: 126 MIN.

• Production: A Paramount+ release of a 101 Studios, Between Two Trees Entertainment, Bosque Ranch Prods. production. Producers: Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, Taylor Sheridan, David Glasser. Executive producers: Jennifer Roth, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari.
• Crew: Director, writer: Brian Helgeland. Camera: Crille Forsberg. Editor: Stuart Levy. Music: Carter Burwell.
• With: Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford.

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Finestkind Movie

Who's Involved:

Jenna Ortega, Ben Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Wallace, Russ Krasnoff, Taylor Sheridan, Brian Helgeland, Gary Foster

Release Date:

Friday, December 15, 2023 Paramount+

Plot: What's the story about?

Finestkind tells the story of two brothers (Ben Foster & Toby Wallace), raised in different worlds, who are reunited as adults over a fateful summer. Set against the backdrop of commercial fishing, the story takes on primal stakes when desperate circumstances force the brothers to strike a deal with a violent Boston crime gang. Along the way, a young woman (Jenna Ortega) finds herself caught perilously in the middle. Sacrifices must be made and bonds between brothers, friends, lovers, and a father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his son are put to the ultimate test.

4.64 / 5 stars ( 11 users)

Poll: Will you see Finestkind?

Who stars in Finestkind: Cast List

Tommy Lee Jones

Captain America: The First Avenger, Mechanic: Resurrection  

11:14, Emancipation  

Toby Wallace

Eden, The Royal Hotel  

Jenna Ortega

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Miller’s Girl  

Who's making Finestkind: Crew List

A look at the Finestkind behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Brian Helgeland last directed Legend and 42 .

Brian Helgeland

Screenwriters

Production Company

101 Studios

Watch Finestkind Trailers & Videos

Official Trailer

Production: what we know about finestkind, filming timeline.

• 2023 - July : The film was set to Completed  status.
• 2022 - July : The film was set to Post-Production  status.

Shooting starts mid-April in Massachusetts.

Finestkind Release Date: When was the film released?

Finestkind was a Paramount+ release in 2023 on Friday, December 15, 2023 . There were 10 other movies released on the same date, including Wonka , The Family Plan and Angel Baby .

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• Thu., Nov. 2, 2023
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• changed the US film release date from September 8, 2023 to December 15, 2023
• set film release to Paramount+
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• added a synopsis
• added posters to the photos gallery
• changed the US film release date from September, 2023 to September 8, 2023
• changed the US film release date from TBA 2022 to September, 2023

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Oscar winner brian helgeland on 30-year journey to make ‘finestkind,’ most personal film of his career.

The Paramount+ film, streaming Dec. 15, stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega and Tommy Lee Jones.

By Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner

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Hollywood is overflowing with stories about films that took years of blood, sweat and tears to bring to the screen. Brian Helgeland ’s Finestkind represents one of the longest kinds.

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Finestkind , which hits Paramount+ on Dec. 15, tells the story of two brothers (Foster and Wallace) who are reunited as adults over a fateful summer while working in the world of commercial fishing. After veering too far into Canadian territory and having their boat impounded by local authorities, the brothers are forced to strike a deal with a violent Boston crime gang while a young woman (Ortega) finds herself caught in the middle.

The film — produced by Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff of Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment, Taylor Sheridan of Bosque Ranch and David C. Glasser of 101 Studios in association with MTV Entertainment Studios — is set and was shot in Helgeland’s hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, with some scenes taking place on a boat that belonged to family friends of Helgeland. Needless to say, it’s the most personal film he’s ever made.

“The characters are commercial fishermen. My dad was a commercial fisherman and so was my grandfather and I fished when I got out of college,” he explained. “It was very surreal, almost like making a documentary.”

“That package fell apart for various reasons,” explained Gary Foster on Tuesday night’s red carpet. “To be honest, it was very depressing. I thought we had it there, and [when it fell apart] we just kind of figured it might be done for good at that point. However, Brian called me one day and said, ‘I really need to do this.’ He didn’t give me any reasons but I just had a sense. I told him, ‘If you’re 100 percent in, I will kill to get this one but you can’t back out.’ And so we did it together.”

The fact that it got made gave the pair, and their many close collaborators, their own Hollywood ending, and it’s clear by speaking to both of them that it’s an experience they won’t forget.

“I’ve made a bunch of films and they’ve been some good experiences,” said Gary Foster, who has produced everything from Sleepless in Seattle and Daredevil to the TV series Community . “This was the closest group of people I’ve ever worked with. Part of it is due to Brian because we knew how much this meant to him but another part was the fact that we were all living in a Residence Inn by Marriott in Braintree, Massachusetts. There wasn’t a lot around there so we spent many a night by the fire outside or in the parking lot. We just wanted to be with each other. It was very hard to walk away from this one and there were a lot of tears when we wrapped. It was a very special time in our lives.”

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‘Finestkind’ Review: Family Tensions Come To The Surface In Brian Helgeland’s Multi-Purpose Boston Drama – Toronto Film Festival

By Damon Wise

Film Editor, Awards

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RELATED: ‘Finestkind’: First Look At Brian Helgeland’s Crime Thriller Starring Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones & Ben Foster

For a while, this looks to be the crux of the movie, a story of fathers and sons that takes place within a rather broad study of class in modern-day America. This blue-collar/white-collar divide is heightened when Charlie falls for Mabel ( Jenna Ortega ), the sparky daughter of a local drug dealer. Mabel exists largely as a counterpoint to the Rich Man, Poor Man saga that is playing out, and the film is all the better for it. She also sets up the scenario for the second half of the movie: having lost ownership of his father’s boat — called Finestkind, as per the title — after an illegal foray into Canadian waters, Tom gets involved with a gang of heroin smugglers for a one-time-only deal that will raise the $100k fine to get the boat out of police custody. This Tom must do because Ray has terminal stomach cancer, and he’s running out of time (“The boat’s my hospice”).

It’s a welcome change of pace and comes just at a time when the film’s totally straight and unironic storytelling seems to be headed down a cul-de-sac of fraternal bickering (“This isn’t your life, it’s my life,” Tom tells Charlie. “You’re a fucking tourist .”) Jones, whose imposing presence is used sparingly to begin with, now becomes more of a central figure, and his father-son spats with Tom adds a new level of tension. The introduction of drug dealer Pete Weeks (Clayne Crawford), whose sarcastic, no-f*cks-given demeanor is, likewise, a respite from the already well established yin and yang of Tom and Charlie.

The two halves don’t fit entirely snugly, and Helgeland tries to fix that with a coda that undoes a lot of the subtlety employed in the freewheeling first section and leaves some serious loose ends hanging from the second. The title, by the way, is Boston slang, a word that Charlie soon finds out can mean anything.

“It’s the Swiss Army knife of words,” shrugs Tom, and the same metaphor can be invoked for Helgeland’s film, an ambitious attempt to combine serious adult issues with satisfying thriller conventions: the parts work by themselves, but you don’t need them all once, just as you don’t need a corkscrew, a bottle opener and a horse’s hoof cleaner when all you really want is a sharp, clean blade.

Title:  Finestkind Festival:   Toronto Film Festival (Gala Presentations) Distributor: Paramount Director-screenwriter:  Brian Helgeland Cast:  Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford Running time:  2 hr 6 min

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‘Finestkind’ Ending Explained & Film Summary: What Happens To Tom And Charlie?

Finestkind is a 2023 crime thriller film with adequate portions of drama as well, as it presents two estranged brothers meeting for the first time after many years as adults. The plot then veers into financial trouble and the desperate turn towards crime, along with the changing dynamics between Tom and Charlie, the two brothers in question. Finestkind is not always very consistently entertaining, and it has its dull moments. Overall, the film presents a rather mediocre experience.

Spoiler Alert

Plot Summary: What is the film about?

Finestkind takes place in the seaside port town of New Bedford, where the titular phrase is popular among some folks, even though there is no specific meaning to the phrase. Charlie, a young man in his early twenties, reaches the dock to meet up with his elder brother, Tom, with whom his family has not been very close. The two are stepbrothers, with Charlie’s father, Gary, not being very fond of Tom, and it is mostly because of this that even his mother, Donna, is not close with Tom anymore. But Charlie has always wanted to spend time with his elder brother, especially since the distance grew between them, and now that he is done with his college education, the young man finds the chance to do so. 

Although it is now time for him to move on to university, and he is intelligent enough to have been selected at the Boston University Law School, Charlie wants to reject that life. Instead, he is more interested in Tom’s line of work—fishing out in the open seas. He makes his desires very clear to Tom within minutes of their meeting, hoping that the elder brother will hire him on his boat as a deckhand. But Tom knows the risks and low profits involved in his job, and so he immediately rejects the brother’s plan. This does not deter Charlie, though, as he makes his way onto the boat and makes acquaintance with the rest of the crew. Tom allows his brother to go along on one fishing job, but he does not want to let this become a regular affair.

But things go wrong on this fishing trip, as the boat breaks down, forcing the crew members to jump out onto an emergency raft before it eventually sinks. Tom, Charlie, and the rest of the crew have to spend hours on the open sea before some rescue workers come and save them, but they are also thrilled by the experience in a carefree manner. Despite the dangerous and risky incident, Charlie is still very convinced that he wants to remain with his brother and be a fisherman. The young man restates his desire even to his father when the man, a lawyer, comes to talk some sense into him. Charlie eventually stays back, and Tom also lets his brother join his crew, still not knowing what fate awaited them.

How did Tom and Charlie get pulled into criminal acts?

After the boat that Tom used capsizes in the sea, the man is left without any means to go fishing. He tries to resolve the issue at the office of the established fishing company that he works with, but the meeting does not provide any solution. Tom suspects that the company, which is also responsible for the maintenance of all boats, had neglected his boat, which had caused the issue with its engine. But the obstinate manager of the company puts all the blame on Tom, and their meeting naturally leads to a hot-headed altercation, even getting to a physical scuffle. It is Charlie who has to calm his brother down and then offer him some solace in this time of need. The difference between the two brothers’ lives is quite well put in Finestkind , as Charlie has never had to deal with issues like these, where one’s livelihood is suddenly at risk because of no fault of their own.

Tom’s father, Eldridge, had always been a fisherman in his life, and his romance with Donna was not affected by this profession in their initial days. But the love had probably fizzled out, with other problems creeping into the marriage, and so Donna eventually left Eldridge and later married Gary. This had changed her life drastically, for Gary was a lawyer with generational wealth and influence, and so she moved from some neighborhood close to the port to a wealthy and affluent suburb. It is not that Donna has forgotten her roots or that she has grown averse to her old life, which is evident towards the end of the film as she welcomes Mabel with warmth and love. But this change of scene did affect Charlie, who had been born into affluence and had been raised amidst privilege. It was perhaps while seeing and listening to the more adventurous life of his elder brother that Charlie wanted to escape the safeguarded life to get a different perspective.

Eldridge, who has seemingly not been a very supportive father to Tom either, now appears in his son’s life and lets him use his own boat, named Finestkind. The boat had been everything to Eldridge, as he spent most of his life dedicated to his profession, and Tom is delighted to be able to use it. But the difficult life of fishermen, with no significant wealth or property of their own, is once again emphasized as Tom decides to step beyond the bounds of the law for some extra profit. Fishing for clams in the deep sea, the man and his crew cross over international borders to illegally enter Canadian seas and catch huge loads from there. It seems like the team often carries out such illegal acts, but the adventure this time has immediate consequences. A Canadian Coast Guard airplane catches them in the act and, as is later revealed, photographs them as evidence. The team returns to New Bedford, hoping that the authorities might have let them go, but right upon entering the port, they are stopped by US authorities, who have been informed by the Canadian neighbors.

The authorities seize the boat, along with the entire trip’s catch, and Tom fears that his father’s fishing license might also be revoked. To make matters worse, Tom and Charlie learn that Eldridge is actually suffering from cancer, and the man does not have very long to live. The brothers are heartbroken about the fact that the elderly Eldridge’s most prized possession was stuck in police custody, and they do not inform the man about the incident yet. Instead, Tom tries to find ways to bring the boat back, and he even returns to the snobbish manager of the fishing company, to no avail. By this time, Charlie had gotten close with a young woman named Mabel, who often hung out at the same bar as the crew. Their friendship developed into love very soon, and as they started a relationship, it was revealed that Mabel’s mother was actually a drug peddler.

At the official hearing, Tom is informed that all the clams from the day’s catch would be confiscated, and the boat would remain in custody unless a fine of $100,000 was paid. The amount is a huge one for the likes of Tom, and he grows terribly concerned about the whole situation when Charlie comes up with a solution. Through the contacts of Mabel’s mother, he brokers a deal with a drug smuggler named Pete Weeks, who needs a stash of heroin to be collected from the sea and brought back to him. Despite his initial reluctance, Tom is forced to agree to the deal, as this one-time mission would fetch them $100,000, with which he could free his father’s boat.

Who had snitched on the fishermen?

On the team’s very first meeting with Pete Weeks, the dangerous nature of the drug gangster is evident, which poses an even bigger threat against Tom and the others. But the helpless situation of the men also forces them to take up the mission, and the group makes their way out to sea. The brother-in-law of one of the crewmen had a big favor to return, and this favor was used to get hold of the boat that the men now use. Late at night, amidst pitch darkness, they go out to sea and spot the airplane that is supposed to drop the drugs. The team is able to secure the package and is rather stunned and shocked to see the kilograms of heroin that they are about to take back to port.

The collection goes without a hitch, but keeping such high amounts of drugs does take a mental toll on the team. Finally, when the time arrives for the drug to be taken to Weeks at the same donut joint where he hangs out, trouble arrives in the most unexpected manner. Only Tom and Charlie ride in the car to deliver the drugs when suddenly two police cars with sirens and tinted windows block them off. The men coming out of the cars initially seem to be policemen, but soon, they turn out to be impersonators who had planned this entire heist. Tom and Charlie have no option but to let the heroin be taken away, even though they realize that the men are not actual police officers but goons.

This loot causes even more trouble for the group, as they are now left with no drugs and a hefty amount to be paid back to Pete Weeks, who refuses to believe them. To the drug smuggler, it seems like Tom and his men have stolen his drugs after keeping the $20,000 paid in advance. The crook uses his own cruel and twisted ways to threaten the brothers and their crewmates as he takes the pregnant wife of one of the crewmates hostage at their own house. It is clear to all that someone must have tipped off the goons about the drug transfer, and now that there is no way for Tom to get the money within a day, he decides to go full rogue and find the snitch in his team.

The first obvious suspicion is on Mabel, since she was the one who introduced the two sides, but she is very soon counted off the list. This is because Weeks himself had already interrogated the woman, leaving her badly bruised, but with the confirmation that she had no role to play in the heist. Thus, Tom now suspects his own crewmates and goes knocking at their doors one after another to find the real snitch. Charlie is informed of this by Nunes, and by the time he tracks down Tom, the man is already at the house of another crewmate, Skeemo. At his house, Skeemo is found under the heavy influence of heroin, and it does not take much effort to make him spill the real truth.

It was Skeemo who had snitched on his team and had informed the drug peddlers he bought his fix from about the stash of heroin that Tom and Charlie had been delivering. Skeemo admits that his addiction had made him do this, and as Tom is angrily about to kill the man, Charlie stops his brother. Killing the snitch would further push Tom into a life of crime with no exit, so Charlie prevents the murder.

What Finally happens to the brothers?

Although the identity of the snitch is revealed and Skeemo is obviously ousted from the group, the money that is owed to Pete Weeks still needs to be paid off. Despite all their best efforts, Tom and Charlie were unable to come up with the money, but by this time, Charlie had admitted all of their troubles to Eldridge. The man, who perhaps carried the guilt of not being an ideal father despite always loving his son, decided to step into the matter. Since he was already terminally ill and had little fear of the consequences, Eldridge goes to the donut shop and requests that Weeks forgive his son. The elderly man even offers to pay $13,000, which is all his life’s savings, but the drug smuggler laughs off his words. As Weeks abuses Eldridge and is about to force him out of the shop, the man pulls out a gun and kills all the gangsters in the place, including Pete Weeks. This scene, and the quick reflexes of Eldridge in using the gun in particular, probably suggest that he had been in such unlawful violent situations earlier as well.

While Eldridge gets arrested by the police, he manages to save his son from the very difficult situation with the drug lord, making up for his absence from Tom’s life earlier. Charlie now decides to continue being a fisherman along with Tom, and he asks his father for help with regard to the money still owed to the authorities. With a rather unrealistic change of opinion, Gary agrees to give his son the money as an investment in the fishing business. Charlie’s romance with Mabel also continues as he introduces his girlfriend to his parents.

During Finestkind ‘s ending, Tom and Charlie free the Finestkind boat and give Eldridge a fitting send-off as the elderly man is being taken away in a police van. While the son continues his profession of fishing and carries forward the legacy of his father, Eldridge would not spend too long behind bars before cancer would finally take his life.

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The Finest Hours

“The Finest Hours” tells the story of a true-life rescue operation, that, if someone had tried to pitch a similar but wholly fictional story following its basic parameters, would have been rejected as too implausible. For the most part, it is a solid film that bolsters its innately compelling narrative with effectively low-key performances, some genuinely thrilling sequences and only a few moments here and there that lean towards hokeyness. However, I cannot in good conscience fully recommend seeing it because of a presentation issue that renders the film virtually unwatchable for long stretches.

Set off the coast of New England, the film recounts the events of February 18, 1952 when a severe storm arose with such force that two oil tankers, the SS Fort Mercer and the SS Pendleton, were both literally split in half. While the Fort Mercer was able to get off distress signals and attract help, the splitting of the Pendleton resulted in the sinking of its fore section and the loss of its commanding officers and radios. With the rear section of the ship taking on water and some of the crewmen contemplating going out in the lifeboats—a suicidal move considering the size of the boats and the strength of the storm—it is bookish chief engineer Ray Sybert ( Casey Affleck ) who figures out a way to steer the crippled remains onto a nearby shoal in order to give potential rescue parties a little more time in which to find them before the rising waters finally overwhelm the generators and leave them dead in the water.

Though the Pendleton was unable to send out a distress signal, its existence was miraculously discovered and the commander of a Massachusetts Coast Guard outpost ( Eric Bana ) sends out a four-man crew consisting of sailor-with-a-troubled-past Bernie Webber ( Chris Pine ) and volunteers Richard Livesey ( Ben Foster ), Andy Fitzgerald ( Kyle Gallner ) and Ervin Maske ( John Magaro ) on a 36-foot motorized lifeboat in search of survivors. To local observers, this is a mission destined to at best fail as it is impossible for a boat that size in those waters to get across a sandbar and out into the open sea. Amazingly, after a long and harrowing struggle, Bernie manages to finally get the boat over the sandbar but loses the compass in the process. With night falling and with no way to determine where the ship is going, the mission goes from dangerous to downright suicidal, but Bernie and the others are determined to do their job, and get to the Pendleton to rescue as many of the sailors as they can.

“The Finest Hours” fumbles a bit early on as it goes about setting up its situation. There is an extended prologue charting the courtship of Bernie and telephone operator Miriam ( Holliday Grainger ) that is presumably meant to give an extra emotional resonance, but doesn’t add much to the proceedings. It gets even more frustrating later on when the story keeps cutting back from the rescue effort to scenes of Miriam fretting back on dry land. Another problem is the way that the film throws lots of unexplained nautical terminology at viewers—although the story itself is basic enough to allow people to follow along easily enough, the barrage of jargon may throw some for a loop at first. The commanding officer character is also painted in confusing terms—it is never certain whether he is a martinet, an idiot or, as a newcomer to the area, too unfamiliar with the area to understand the dangers he is sending his men into.

Once it gets past these hurdles, “The Finest Hours” turns into an effective rescue drama that does not necessarily reinvent the genre but goes about its business in a smart and generally compelling manner. Director Craig Gillespie , who previously helmed the quirk-fest “ Lars and the Real Girl ” and the surprisingly good remake of “Fright Night,” does a good job of conveying the stories of the Pendleton crew’s struggle for survival and the trials of their would-be rescuers. The performances are also nicely down-to-earth as well—Chris Pine, who has often stuck me as insufferably smug, delivers his most likable work to date as Bernie, while Casey Affleck is equally good as the loner engineer who finds the lives of his fellow sailors suddenly in his hands. Technically, the film is, with the exception of a couple of somewhat dodgy bits, pretty convincing and the sequence in which Bernie struggles to get his tiny ship over the sandbar is a thrilling moment to behold.

And yet, as good as “The Finest Hours” is in its best moments, I am unable to fully recommend seeing it due to the idiotic decision to convert the film into 3-D, presumably as a way of pulling in a few extra bucks at the box office. Under normal circumstances, such a move could just be ignored as a minor nuisance but in this case, it actively goes about ruining the basic experience of watching it. In the case of “The Finest Hours,” a film that takes almost entirely at night and in the middle of a ferocious storm, the 3-D conversion is so murky that there are long stretches where it is almost impossible to discern what is going on up on the screen. If you have the opportunity to see it in 2-D, it is worth a look. But since Disney is clearly pushing the 3-D version, my advice is to skip it and wait for the Blu-ray—sadly, you will not get the full big-screen experience that a film like this cries out for, but at least you will be able to actually see the damn thing.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

• Eric Bana as Daniel Cluff
• Beau Knapp as Mel Gouthro
• Rachel Brosnahan as Bea Hansen
• John Magaro as Ervin Maske
• Keiynan Lonsdale as Eldon Hanan
• Ben Foster as Richard Livesey
• Graham McTavish as Frank Fateux
• Josh Stewart as Tchuda Southerland
• Casey Affleck as Ray Sybert
• Chris Pine as Bernie Webber
• Kyle Gallner as Andy Fitzgerald
• Holliday Grainger as Miriam
• Carter Burwell

Writer (book "The Finest Hours")

• Casey Sherman
• Michael J. Tougias
• Craig Gillespie
• Eric Johnson
• Paul Tamasy
• Scott Silver

Cinematographer

• Javier Aguirresarobe
• Tatiana S. Riegel

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Finestkind’ On Paramount+, A Languidly-Paced Film About Fishing, Brothers, Fathers And Sons

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In the new film Finestkind , there are plenty of scenes where commercial fishing boats and their crews do what they do, and those scenes feel authentic. That’s because the movie’s writer and director, Brian Helgeland , worked on fishing boats when he was growing up in New Bedford Massachusetts. But when the fishing scenes are the best part of a film, that’s a problem.

FINESTKIND : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: In New Bedford, MA, fishing is a way of life; it’s the largest fishing port in the Northeast. Tom Aldridge (Ben Foster) has been a commercial fisherman his entire life. When his half-brother Charlie (Toby Wallace), who just graduated college with an English degree, surprises him at the harbor one day and asks if he can use a deckhand on his crew, Tom at first says no.

Charlie convinces him that he really wants to learn the trade during the summer, instead of clerking for his attorney dad Gary Sykes (Tim Daly). Tom gives him the job, and Charlie goes out with the crew — Nunes (Scotty Tovar), Skeemo (Aaron Stanford) and Costa (Ismael Cruz Cordova). The guys goof on Charlie and sit him down to give him a buzz cut, but it seems that he fits in well.

A few days into the run, on some rough seas, the engine of the trawler they’re on catches fire and the ship sinks. Tom, Charlie and the crew spend a day on a rescue dinghy, which is where Charlie learns the meaning — or multiple meanings — of the word they all keep using: “Finestkind.” “It’s the Swiss Army knife of words,” says Tom.

After they’re rescued, the crew immediately goes to their favorite watering hole to blow off steam. It’s there that Charlie sees Mabel (Jenna Ortega), whom he likely knew when they were younger, but is all grown up now, and he’s immediately attracted to her. Charlie and Tom’s mother, Donna (Lolita Davidovich), understands the life, but Gary doesn’t; when he storms into the bar to see how Charlie is, his son tells him he’s going back out again.

Tom is angry that the fishing conglomerate that owned the boat didn’t maintain it the way they should have, and he threatens the owner of the company; Charlie has to talk him down from doing something he’ll regret.

Not long after, Tom is approached by his father, Ray (Tommy Lee Jones) to take his boat, the Finestkind out on a scalloping run. Tom hasn’t worked, much less talked, to Ray in years, but a simple “Please” from the gruff Texan seems to do the trick.

When Tom, Charlie and the crew do go out, they move towards Canadian waters as they trawl for scallops. Tom decides to cross into those waters illegally, because he knows a spot where there’s a massive haul that they can get. “Getting caught is not an option,” he tells a worried Charlie more than once. But they do end up getting caught, and the Finestkind is impounded with a hefty fine. When Tom and Charlie find out that Ray’s health is in decline, they decide that they need to act quickly to get the boat back to Ray, which brings the crew, as well as Mabel, into the orbit of a heroin dealer named Pete Weeks (Clayne Crawford).

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: A little bit of Big Fish , a little bit of Mystic River , a little bit of The Perfect Storm , and a little bit of Good Will Hunting .

Performance Worth Watching: Tommy Lee Jones is riveting whenever he’s onscreen as Ray. All the years of trolling the North Atlantic to make a living are seen on his face, and in a scene with Davidovich, you can just sense that there’s a whole history there that’s begging to be explored. If writer and director Brian Helgeland (who, it should be noted, won an Oscar for writing the L.A. Confidential screenplay) had built the entire film around Ray, it might have been much more interesting.

Memorable Dialogue: Ray gives Tom and Charlie some advice that’s pretty obvious but seems wise coming from him: “You live, you die. It’s the in-between that counts.”

Sex and Skin: Charlie and Mabel start seeing each other, and there are a couple of mild, mostly-clothed sex scenes between the two of them.

Our Take: Helgeland wrote Finestkind based on his own experiences growing up in New Bedford and working on a commercial fishing boat, and the extended scenes where Tom, Charlie and the crew do the actual fishing are actually some of the more compelling scenes in the film. It’s a remarkable operation, seeing thousands of scallops being pulled up from the sea bottom, then these skeleton crews shuck and bag them. It’s definitely hard, physically-demanding work, but what Helgeland tries to show is that guys like Tom Aldridge wouldn’t live their lives any other way, and there’s a reason why Charlie wants to commit to that life, as hard as it can be.

Most of the first 75 minutes of the film are about that, paced in a languid way that made us wonder if there was an actual plot. Things moved pretty slowly, and there was some thuddingly dumb dialogue during this time, but we liked the idea that Tom and Charlie were bonding after being on their own paths for years, and the budding relationship between Charlie and Mabel was sweet if ultimately pointless in the larger scheme of the movie.

Speaking of Mabel, Ortega was criminally underutilized, playing a role that is supposed to be a “bad girl” but really isn’t. We were dying to see more backstory about her life, other than the fact that her mother was a drug dealer, and how she was connected to Charlie during their childhoods.

At about that 75 minute mark, actual plot kicks in, and the movie goes in a completely different direction as the Finestkind is impounded, Tom and Charlie find out about Ray’s health and the fateful decision is made that brings Weeks into their lives. It certainly feels like a different movie at this point, one we should have seen earlier in the film; if at least 20 minutes out of the 126-minute running time was cut, the transition might not have been as jarring.

One more thing: At the end of the movie, something happens which pretty much negates the events that came before it, something that was surprising given how thought-through other aspects of the film were, like how an veteran New England fisherman like Ray could have Jones’ Texas accent.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Finestkind wants to be a commentary about families and the bonds that are forged in an occupation like commercial fishery. But the film meanders for too long before any kind of plot kicks in, then shifts gears so severely that we almost got whiplash trying to keep up.

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

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'Finestkind' Review: Jenna Ortega and Ben Foster Sink in Bland Boston Drama

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The Big Picture

• Finestkind is an unremarkable film that blends different ideas and escalates stakes, but ultimately falls short in delivering a cohesive narrative.
• The strong cast of Finestkind is wasted and poorly utilized, with Toby Wallace's character lacking a compelling journey and Ben Foster's talents going untapped.
• The script of Finestkind is a major weakness, with nonsensical motivations, poorly defined characters, and a mindless degradation of the narrative. The film fails to prioritize the brotherly bond it attempts to establish.

This review was originally part of our coverage for the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Early on in Finestkind , the aspiring fisherman Charlie ( Toby Wallace ) asks why the other guys on the crew keep saying the word “finestkind.” Its usage seems indeterminable, as it keeps getting used in different contexts, making it hard to nail down, and even the boat owned by Tommy Lee Jones ’ Ray, we will come to learn, is named “Finestkind.” We’re told that the word can be whatever you want it to be, that it can change from sentence to sentence, what matters is the inflection and intention. Finestkind , then, is the perfect title for a film that is an unremarkable blend of different ideas, wildly escalating stakes, and full of actors who deserve better .

A crew of fishermen tread dangerous waters when their debts start piling up.

Charlie has recently left college and while his father ( Tim Daly ) is determined that he should go to law school, Charlie wants to follow in the footsteps of his brother Tom ( Ben Foster ) and become a fisherman. On his first voyage, Charlie and his brother’s crew have their boat blown up , leaving them to be rescued, but this only makes Charlie even more determined to leave college behind and become a fisherman.

Losing their boat sets this crew down an absurd path that includes yet another failure of a voyage (maybe Charlie is bad luck?), a ludicrous clash with a group of drug dealers, and one of the strangest casting choices ever, as Jenna Ortega plays Mabel, a drug dealer who starts a chemistry-free relationship with Charlie. As the trouble grows for this crew, their bad choices make Finestkind unintentionally laughable as their fate goes from bad to worse.

'Finestkind' Has Its Charms...At First

Even though Finestkind is melodramatic and cliché from the top, there is something charming about watching these two brothers grow close through the difficult fishing work and the camaraderie that grows from this team. But the screenplay by writer-director Brian Helgeland (who has been twice Oscar nominated for L.A. Confidential and Mystic River ) keeps finding ways to make this story go in goofier and goofier directions. While Helgeland wants us to trust Tom as the captain of this crew, it’s hard to understand why he’s still in charge as one boat sinks, he risks losing all their jobs with a silly journey into restricted waters and gets his team mixed up with a group of heroin dealers in the third act. It’s as if Helgeland kept attempting to make this team sink deeper into their mistakes, without worrying if any of it made a lick of sense.

Helgeland also packs Finestkind full of lines that are meant to come off as deep, but end up sounding foolish , like the frequently called-back, “You live, you die. It’s what you do in between that counts,” or Tommy Lee Jones’ meme-worthy delivery of “I’m your fucking daddy.” These moments are presented as profound statements, but really, they’re the closest that Finestkind has to a punchline.

While Finestkind does have a strong cast, they’re completely wasted or horribly miscast . Toby Wallace has a Golden Retriever-like quality to him, but there’s never any true reason to care about his journey—let alone why he wants to leave college to apparently be a bad omen for several ships. Foster is maybe one of our generation’s most underrated actors, but there’s nothing here for him to show off his talents. While we get hints of deeper pains, he’s mostly just the sullen, quiet captain who seems to make the worst possible choice at every turn. Similarly, Ortega is shown to have a darkness that we never really get to delve into as, instead, Finestkind turns her into little more than Charlie’s girlfriend—who just so happens to be an incredibly unconvincing drug dealer.

Tommy Lee Jones is arguably the actor who gets out of this shipwreck barely unscathed, and especially when the shit starts to really hit the fan, he gets some of the most captivating moments of the film . One such scene pits Jones against Clayne Crawford ’s drug dealer Pete, and watching this dynamic is one of the few engaging parts of the entire film. Jones still gets unfortunate narrative choices and questionable line readings, but his presence alone makes up for many of the film’s issues.

The Script Is What Really Tanks 'Finestkind'

But again, the reason why these characters and Finestkind in general don’t work is because of the weaknesses in the script . These motivations are nonsensical, the characters poorly defined, and the degradation of this narrative is mindless. This cast is trying their damnedest to make this drama work, but they’re stuck in a story that isn’t doing them any favors. A cast this strong should have a screenplay worthy of their time, and Finestkind simply doesn’t.

It’s also just a shame that Finestkind doesn’t prioritize the brother bonding between Charlie and Tom, as that attempts to be the heart and soul of the film, but gets completely lost along the way. Watching this crew get to know each other, as Charlie learns about life on the sea—all while finding a connection he didn’t get from college—makes for some of the nicer moments within the film. Yet the crew eventually becomes little more than different weaknesses that can be exploited , and the connection between the brothers never has the weight that it probably should, especially when this crew starts hitting shaky waters.

In a way, Finestkind ’s script feels as if it was created by the scraps of other stories —a Frankenstein’s monster of ideas that congealed into one odd mess. Wallace’s Charlie seems like a bland nonentity that we’re forced to follow as he’s surrounded by characters far more interesting than him. If only Helgeland would let us draw away from him. Foster’s Tom is left to become a sidekick to Charlie and his poor decisions, whereas the rest of Tom’s crew all have interesting angles that the film decides to veer away from for some reason. There’s an entire world of potential within Finestkind , and Helgeland has decided to center his story around the most mundane part of it.

Finestkind has all the right pieces to make an interesting drama, but Helgeland can’t get them together in a way that isn’t over-the-top and downright silly. Even the score from the great Carter Burwell is cloying and irritating, highlighting the dramatic beats in an awkward, ham-fisted way. Finestkind is a mishmash of ideas, shifting stakes, and poor choices that should've floated, but instead, it just sinks .

Rating: 4/10

Finestkind is now available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

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The finest hours.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 9 Reviews
• Kids Say 8 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Death-defying rescue comes alive in intense drama.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to that The Finest Hours -- set in the 1950s and based on the U.S. Coast Guard's greatest small-boat rescue mission -- brings to life a sometimes-terrifying piece of history. Expect scenes of peril and frightening natural violence, with waves knocking characters (played by the likes of Ben…

Why Age 12+?

Frequent danger/peril. Boats break apart upon hitting rough waves. A man is kill

Infrequent swearing includes "jackass," "screw," and "h

Few product mentions. A Coors sign is visible.

Social drinking by adults.

Any Positive Content?

Ray Sybert puts his crew's lives above all else, thinking of creative ways t

Trust yourself and your instincts, and you'll know the correct course of act

Violence & Scariness

Frequent danger/peril. Boats break apart upon hitting rough waves. A man is killed trying to go from a large ship to a smaller rescue boat. An extended scene shows a ship attempting to cross a sandbar in the middle of an historic storm.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Infrequent swearing includes "jackass," "screw," and "hell."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Role Models

Ray Sybert puts his crew's lives above all else, thinking of creative ways to get them out of the disaster they find themselves in. Bernie Webber is trustworthy, honest, and willing to put his life on the line to save others.

Positive Messages

Trust yourself and your instincts, and you'll know the correct course of action. Also, when duty calls, you must rise to the occasion. Courage and integrity are additional themes.

Parents need to that The Finest Hours -- set in the 1950s and based on the U.S. Coast Guard's greatest small-boat rescue mission -- brings to life a sometimes-terrifying piece of history. Expect scenes of peril and frightening natural violence, with waves knocking characters (played by the likes of Ben Foster , Chris Pine , Eric Bana , Casey Affleck , and more) around like toys, bodies slamming against the decks of ships, suspenseful boat vs. ocean moments, and allusions to other accidents that claimed lives. But beyond the tension and danger, the movie is on the mild side; language isn't stronger than "jackass" and "hell," drinking is limited to some social imbibing by adults, and a chaste kiss is as steamy as it gets. It also offers heroic characters overcoming the odds and a superficial, though notable, meditation on life and death. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (9)
• Kids say (8)

Based on 9 parent reviews

Disagree with asssessment

Good movie, but read thoroughly…, what's the story.

Based on real-life events, THE FINEST HOURS chronicles what's considered the greatest small-boat rescue in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard. In the winter of 1952, a massive storm rocks New England, ripping two oil tankers in half near Cape Cod. On the splintered half of the Pendleton , Ray Sybert ( Casey Affeck ) and other crew members toil ceaselessly to keep their half of the ship afloat as they wait for rescue. Meanwhile, Coast Guardsman Bernie Webber ( Chris Pine ) is on a boat with three others racing to save the Pendleton crew, but it's not clear whether they'll make it across a sandbar safely and reach the men before it's too late.

Is It Any Good?

This plays like a throwback film at first, portraying without irony or insight the sexism of its day; but once it hits the water, the scenes of peril and suspense manage to rescue it. Some of The Finest Hours' plot developments can be spotted entire oceans away, but a strong cast and great special effects -- which, like the memorable visuals of The Perfect Storm , reveal the monstrous power of the sea -- pull it from the brink of disaster.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how movies like The Finest Hours depict intense historical events. Is it easier or harder to watch disturbing scenes knowing they really happened? How much scary stuff can kids handle?

What's the appeal of movies based on real-life events? How important is historical accuracy in a movie like this? Why might filmmakers decide to change some facts? How can you find out more about what really happened?

How do the characters demonstrate courage and integrity ? Why are these important character strengths ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 29, 2016
• On DVD or streaming : May 24, 2016
• Cast : Chris Pine , Ben Foster , Eric Bana
• Director : Craig Gillespie
• Studio : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : History
• Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity
• Run time : 117 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : intense sequences of peril
• Last updated : August 31, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Finestkind Review: Jenna Ortega’s Charm Can’t Save This Dull Film

Finestkind , directed by Brian Helgeland and boasting a robust cast of actors like Ben Foster , Toby Wallace , Tommy Lee Jones , and Ismael Cruz Córdova , tries to masquerade as an invigorating crime thriller with undertones of familial bonds. While it aims to create an intoxicating cocktail of organized crime, family ties, and explosive danger, unfortunately, the blend seems unrefined and crude, which in the end, creates a poor film-watching experience.

At the heart of the movie, Finestkind tells the tale of two estranged brothers, Tom (Foster) and Charlie (Wallace), whose turbulent lives converge once again due to a reckless pact they form with a dangerous Boston crime syndicate. Caught in the perilous repercussions of their deal are their gruff father, Eldridge (Jones), and Mabel, a cryptic young woman portrayed by the marvelous Jenna Ortega .

Foster and Wallace in the role of troubled brothers bear the significant responsibility of being the film’s pulse, their dysfunctional dynamics being integral to the film’s narrative. Sadly, they fail to ignite the necessary chemistry needed to portray their fractured relationship convincingly. They neither anchor the emotional arc of the plot nor fully realize the critical character complexities.

Ben Foster, usually known for his intensely riveting performances, seemed surprisingly underwhelming in the role of Tom. Wallace, as Charlie, didn’t particularly impress either, failing to flesh out his character convincingly, making it hard for the audience to resonate with him. Tommy Lee Jones, a venerable veteran actor, was severely underused. His character, Eldridge, while offering fleeting moments of grizzled charisma, was otherwise muted and bland.

The plot development itself falls flat as well. It runs along a trite and predictable trajectory, rendering its supposed suspenseful and thrilling beats effectively moot. Even the noir-inspired exploration of Boston’s seedy underbelly doesn’t make enough impact, merely fading into the realm of banal predictability.

As far as crime dramas go, Finestkind just fails to deliver a compelling tale. This is largely due to its lack of originality, undeveloped characters, and misplaced pacing. Helgeland’s vision seems buried underneath the cumbersome screenplay, muddled narrative arc, and strained performances by the lead cast, except for the noteworthy performance by Ortega. The striking Boston scenery doesn’t compensate for its critical narrative flaws either.

One cannot discuss Finestkind without talking about its exploration of family dynamics. Yet, it fails to articulate the nuanced complexities of familial bonds amid a crime-fueled life effectively. This dynamic becomes reduced to simple plot points that fail to achieve any emotional weightiness.

That said, the real gem of Finestkind is the luminary talent of Jenna Ortega as Mabel. Ortega turns an otherwise trope-ridden character into an impressive figure, exuding charisma, depth, and warmth that renders the audience’s full attention whenever she is on screen. She’s nothing short of a revelation, being one of the few beacons of redemption for this beleaguered film.

Technically speaking, Finestkind offers a competent showcase. Its cinematography tries to establish an atmosphere in keeping with the theme, and the music, while forgettable, is adequately effective. It is however in the scripting, story pacing and, most importantly, character portrayal that the movie majorly fumbles, taking the wind out of its sails.

Finestkind turns out to be a missed opportunity for an engrossing crime drama. Apart from Jenna Ortega’s captivating performance, it offers little by way of engaging characters, suspense, or intriguing narrative developments. Despite its ambitions, the film concludes as an undercooked thriller that cannot navigate its themes convincingly or affectively.

• Acting - 5/10 5/10
• Cinematography/Visual Effects - 4/10 4/10
• Plot/Screenplay - 4/10 4/10
• Setting/Theme - 3/10 3/10
• Watchability - 3/10 3/10
• Rewatchability - 2/10 2/10

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Their Finest

A former secretary, newly appointed as a scriptwriter for propaganda films, joins the cast and crew of a major production while the Blitz rages around them. A former secretary, newly appointed as a scriptwriter for propaganda films, joins the cast and crew of a major production while the Blitz rages around them. A former secretary, newly appointed as a scriptwriter for propaganda films, joins the cast and crew of a major production while the Blitz rages around them.

• Lone Scherfig
• Lissa Evans
• Gaby Chiappe
• Gemma Arterton
• Sam Claflin
• 119 User reviews
• 171 Critic reviews
• 76 Metascore
• 1 win & 7 nominations

Top cast 59

• Catrin Cole

• Tom Buckley

• Ambrose Hilliard …

• Roger Swain
• Bus Conductor

• Gabriel Baker

• Rex, the Clapper Loader

• Walter, the Director (Careless Talk Film)
• Make-Up Woman (Careless Talk Film)
• Mr. Richards (Dubbing Editor)
• Dolly (Carrot Film)

• Mabel (Carrot Film)
• (as Amanda Fairbank Hynes)

• Rose Starling

• Lily Starling
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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia When asked what his reactions were to being cast as Ambrose Hilliard, Bill Nighy said: "They were looking for someone to play a chronically self-absorbed actor in his declining years, and they thought of me, which is something that's easier to process on some mornings rather than others."
• Goofs When Catrin Cole exits an Underground Station an Air Raid is starting and Air Raid Sirens are sounding; however they are not broadcasting the rising and falling note of the "Air Attack Warning", but the constant high pitched note of the "All Clear" which was / would be sounded after danger had passed.

Phyl Moore : They're afraid they won't be able to put us back in the box when this is over, and it makes them belligerent.

• Connections Referenced in OWV Updates: Multimedia Update + XVD Launch (14/01/2017) (2017)
• Soundtracks Brighton Promenade Written by Anthony Mawer

User reviews 119

• subxerogravity
• Apr 9, 2017
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• April 7, 2017 (United States)
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• Nữ Biên Kịch
• Porthgain Harbour, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
• Welsh Government
• Pinewood Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• €10,000,000 (estimated)
• $12,597,262

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• Runtime 1 hour 57 minutes
• Black and White

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Their Finest review: Lone Scherfig's Blitz-era drama is entertaining and insightful

One of the pleasures of the film is the way it both gently mocks and celebrates the british in wartime. at times, the brits can seem very absurd indeed, article bookmarked.

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Lone Scherfig’s entertaining and insightful romantic drama, Their Finest , is set during the Blitz in 1940. This was the beginning of one of the richest and most contradictory periods in British film history.

In 1939, it had looked as if British filmmaking was going to grind to a halt and that cinemas would be closed down for the duration. Even when they re-opened, production levels plummeted. Nonetheless, against the odds and as the bombs fell on London, the war years turned out to be an extraordinarily fertile period – a mini golden era in which old attitudes about gender and class were turned on their head. The Government may have been using filmmaking for propaganda purposes but exceptional work was done all the same. Audiences clamoured for new movies that reflected the realities of their wartimes lives rather than for star-filled Hollywood fantasies.

The film opens with footage from a documentary of the period showing women in a factory. One tells her supervisor that she has had some bad news: her man has gone missing. She then adds with an absurdly British understatement, in the face of bereavement and death, that she will feel much better when she has had “a cup of tea”.

The footage is greeted by audiences with catcalls and derision – as an example of patronising filmmakers having no clue how to depict working class women on screen. This is where Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton) comes in. She is a young Welsh woman who has been working as a copywriter, based on a real-life screenwriter, Diana Morgan, the only female writer on contract at Ealing Studios under notoriously chauvinistic boss Michael Balcon. She is hired because the film studio bosses need someone who can write the “slop” (the “girl talk”) and “cultivate a more convincing female angle”.

Catrin thinks she is being taken on as a secretary and is startled to discover that actually she is there to work on the screenplays. Her job is help provide a script that is authentic, optimistic. . . and that has a dog (always good for morale) for good measure.

Arterton gives a well-judged and engaging performance as Catrin, capturing her character’s mix of naivety and ambition, fieriness and diffidence. Catrin is clearly talented but has to work out just how much independence she is allowed to show. She is paid far less than the men for doing the same job and is relentlessly condescended to by them – but they are dependent on her.

So is her ne’er do well war artist husband Ellis (Jack Huston). He has been disowned by his family because of his politics. He may be a destitute radical but when it comes to domestic arrangements, he wants his wife to stay at home and defer to him.

Adapted from the Lissa Evans novel Their Finest Hour And A Half , this is a self-reflexive affair – a film about filmmaking. Catrin is assigned to research an uplifting story that her bosses in the Ministry of Information think will appeal on the home front, to women in particular. The story in question is about two sisters who defied their drunken sea captain father, borrowed his boat and headed to Dunkirk to help in the evacuation of the stranded allied forces.

In reality, the boat had engine trouble and didn’t make it to Dunkirk. The reports in the local papers about the sisters’ heroism were wildly exaggerated. Nonetheless, once the story is given the Technicolor treatment and is written up by Catrin and her colleagues, it becomes rousing fare for cinema goers.

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One of the pleasures of the film is the way it both gently mocks and celebrates the British in wartime. At times, the Brits can seem very absurd indeed. Among the main characters here is the ageing actor Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy), a narcissistic old-timer who was once a matinee idol. Nighy plays him in wonderfully haughty and conceited fashion.

Ambrose is in his 60s and simply can’t accept that he is no longer top of the bill – or that all the best Italian waiters at his favourite Soho restaurants have been interned as enemy aliens. He treats his loyal agent Sammy (Eddie Marsan) in high-handed fashion and is contemptuous of the idea that he be asked to play an old “shipwreck of a man” in a wartime potboiler. It is typical of the film that someone who seems early on like a comic buffoon is given depth and pathos.

Their Finest often resembles the films it is so busy sending up. Early on, for example, the relationship between Catrin and her fellow screenwriter Buckley (Sam Claflin) is dealt with in such reticent and evasive fashion that it makes Ealing movies of the 1940s look melodramatic and expressive by comparison. The two writers are clearly attracted to one another but that doesn’t stop Buckley from lecturing and browbeating Catrin and continually telling her to be more economical with her dialogue. He’s offhand and cynical.

There is plenty of death and destruction in the film: horribly bloodied bodies that need to be identified in the morgue or victims of the Blitz lying in the rubble of what was once their homes. Amid all the carnage, no-one betrays any outward sense of grief. They simply get on with the job in hand in a typically British fashion.

If Nighy is the most shameless in his scene-stealing antics, several other character actors here are also trying to pilfer our attention. Richard E. Grant rolls his eyes and furrows his brow in fine comic fashion as the head of the film division at the Ministry of Information. Rachael Stirling plays her character (a caustic lesbian film executive from the Ministry of Information) with a Tallulah Bankhead-like world weariness.

Jeremy Irons appears briefly, reciting soliloquies from Shakespeare’s Henry V , and there’s an engaging cameo from Jake Lacy as a good-looking but dim-witted American pilot drafted in to star in the movie to please the US distributors. Some of the in-jokes begin to grate but the film has enough heart never simply to seem like a lampoon of wartime British cinema. Its recreation of Dunkirk using painted backdrops is ingenious. It will be intriguing to see how Christopher Nolan treats the same subject matter in his IMAX epic, due out later in the year.

'Their Finest' hits UK cinemas 21 April

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The Finest Hours

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Old-fashioned to a fault, The Finest Hours will satisfy those seeking a traditional rescue drama - but may leave more adventurous viewers wanting more.

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Their Finest Review

21 Apr 2017

Their Finest

A bit like Hail, Caesar! set in 1940s Ealing rather than 1950s Hollywood, Their Finest is a slight, warm, funny delight, informed by a gently etched feminist agenda. Continuing director Lone Scherfig’s interest in young women coming into their own (see An Education, One Day ), this follows Welsh scriptwriter Catrin, played with an impressive mixture of steel and warmth by Gemma Arterton, on a journey into making propaganda films during World War II. It’s an occasionally obvious, handsomely mounted hymn to both valuing women in the workplace and the power of cinema to provide solace in times of tumult. And who, frankly, can argue with either?

It's a handsomely mounted hymn to both valuing women and the power of cinema.

Adapted by Gaby Schiappe from Lissa Evans 2009 novel Their Finest Hour And A Half, the story picks up Catrin in war-torn London having to support moody painter-boyfriend

Ellis (Jack Huston). She gets a job at the Ministry Of Information — the film has a keen eye for bureaucratic fools played by the likes of Richard E. Grant and Jeremy Irons — and is quickly promoted to write women’s dialogue (dismissed by suits as “slop”) in propaganda films designed to offer “authenticity with optimism”. Her sharp mind and writing talents catch the eye of head writer Tom (Sam Claflin) and earn her a chance to shine when she is asked to work on a feature film about two sisters who piloted their drunken father’s boat from Southend to Dunkirk to bring wounded British Tommies home. Researching the true yarn, Catrin discovers the story has been massively over-exaggerated and is faced with the dilemma to write the truth or legend. She plumps for legend.

The making of this film is where Their Finest really catches fire. Here the piece displays the verve and pep of a backstage musical as Catrin deals with sexism, constant demands from the Ministry, a dumb lunk of an American pilot (Jake Lacy) foisted on the filmmakers as a sop to US audiences and, best of all, Bill Nighy as Ambrose Hilliard, a conceited old thesp struggling to embrace the idea he is playing a supporting role (“a shipwreck of a man, sixties, looks older”) rather than a romantic lead. Nighy could do this in his sleep but he finds lots of notes, especially in a touching relationship with his agent’s widow (Helen McCrory).

The film has an affectionate feel for the creakiness and filmmaking tricks of World War II propaganda films — there’s a great matte painting gag — and does a skilful job of keeping things light while never underselling the foreboding and fragility of Blitz Britain. Just as you feel it is in danger of heading to Sunday evening TV coziness, it sensitively shifts gear into something more downbeat and heartfelt. Towards the end of the film, Catrin slips into a cinema with the public to see the effect of her handiwork. There isn’t a dry eye in the full house and, as Their Finest draws to an effective close, it’s a hard heart that isn’t wishing for a stiff upper lip too.

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Netflix's 'Apollo 13: Survival' is a superb examination of NASA's finest hour (review)

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

Most of us are familiar with NASA's aborted moon landing mission in 1970 from watching director Ron Howard's excellent " Apollo 13 " feature film that was released in 1995, and its dire declaration from Tom Hanks' Commander Jim Lovell, "Houston, we have a problem." The real words spoken were actually, "Houston, we've had a problem," but that's just Hollywood artistic license (and given that it's one of the best space movies of all time, we'll let them off).

And you've all watched Kevin Bacon portraying command module pilot Jack Swigert in the movie as he flipped a switch that stirred the oxygen tanks, accidentally sparking an explosion which led to gases venting out into outer space that would abort the landing. This required the crew to turn to Aquarius, their trusty lunar module that was to touch down at the Fra Mauro Highlands, as a temporary lifeboat until they could strategize on how to fix their ailing craft and get back home.

A remarkable new Netflix documentary titled " Apollo 13: Survival " takes a hard look at the circumstances surrounding the mission and how a dedicated team prevailed to "work the problem" against all odds. It's an emotional examination of the harrowing drama that held the world's attention that one mid-April week in 1970 as interest in the American space program was starting to wane.

Utilizing a combination of actual mission footage, vintage Apollo 13 audio recordings, stoic newscasts, and archival interviews with the astronauts' families and NASA ground personnel, British director Peter Middleton takes us straight into those cigarette smoke-choked space administration rooms to experience an unprecedented chronicle of this historic event.

It was truly one of NASA's finest hours as cool-headed engineers later spent sleepless hours at Houston's Mission Control cobbling together instructions for how to create a makeshift carbon dioxide scrubber to enable the stranded crew of Lovell, Swigert, and lunar module pilot Fred Haise to return to their Odyssey capsule and safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean days later.

The filmmakers' approach tends to steer towards a clinical diagnosis that relies heavily on clips unearthed from NASA's vaults. However, that's part of the immersive appeal this documentary exhibits, evoking a riveting tension and reminding us of the severe hazards of outer space travel. It's especially relevant as more privately-funded space tourists launch and we learn more about Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore , the marooned astronauts aboard the ISS awaiting their flight home to Earth via SpaceX in early 2025 due to a malfunctioning Boeing Starliner capsule.

Middleton is an instinctive documentarian whose earlier work, "Notes on Blindness" (2016) and "The Real Charlie Chaplin" (2021), have both received high praise from critics and audiences.

From its first eerie images of our cratered moon taken from inside the command module prior to the accident," Apollo 13: Survival" weaves a hypnotic spell of uncertainty even though we know what the favorable outcome was. Middleton has crafted a timely portrait of those NASA times of buzz-cuts and skinny ties, even as we prepare for a manned Artemis 2 moon mission in 2025.

By using such an eclectic array of visuals, the director creates a sensory cocoon for viewers to wrap themselves in as archival interviews flow, accompanied by candid Kodachrome snapshots and grainy mission clips to provide viewers with an indelible level of intimacy and immediacy. 

"Survival" exists as a time capsule and compelling cautionary tale as NASA looks toward the future with its promises and perils. Never shattering the illusion by breaking into modern talking heads, and devoid of heavy-handed voiceover narration or 21st century intrusions to spoil the Middleton magic, the project is punctuated with a beautiful ambient score by composer James Spinney.

"I don't look back too often," reveals Lovell. "If you don’t look forward then you lose some of the meaning of life. But being up there and seeing the Earth as it really is, and realizing how fortunate we are, It's like a blue and white Christmas tree ball hanging in an absolutely black sky. And of course you don’t see cities. You don't see boundaries. You see the Earth as it really is. A grand oasis in the vastness of space."

Currently streaming exclusively on Netflix, "Apollo 13: Survival" is an impressive achievement in the documentary art form and one that instantly becomes the new gold standard of Apollo 13 accounts and a rare treat for Apollo-era enthusiasts.

Small Town Cops Hassle the Wrong Guy in Netflix's 'Rebel Ridge'

By Petr Navovy | Film | September 10, 2024 |

I don’t think I’ve ever been so conflicted before watching a film as I was heading into Rebel Ridge . My internal dialogue resembled a fierce tennis volley. ‘It’s the new film from Jeremy Saulnier ! Woohoo! It’s about an ex-Marine— groan . It’s about how he takes on a bunch of crooked small-town cops and shows them that they messed with the wrong guy—alright, sounds great! It’s a Netflix release— groan .’ The Simpsons cursed frozen yogurt comparisons write themselves.

I’m happy to report that the forces of evil were vanquished in that furious tug-of-war: Rebel Ridge mostly lives up to the level of quality that we’ve come to expect from writer-director Saulnier , and it does so while side-stepping the majority of the rah-rah American jingoism that usually comes with stories that focus on ex-military personnel. It does sometimes feel like a film of two halves, in which the second seems as if it won’t be able to match the intensity of the first, but Saulnier manages to bring things to boil again before the movie’s 131 minutes are up.

I can’t mention intensity without highlighting the fact that Rebel Ridge features one of the most electrifying, instantly gripping, and cinema-seat (well, if it wasn’t a Netflix release)-destroying openings in recent memory. Our protagonist is riding down a quiet, small-town road on his bicycle with headphones in when a police cruiser appears behind him, and, almost instantly, without warning, rams into him, propelling him face-first into the concrete. Before he even has time to mentally or physically process what has happened to him, the jackboot of America’s institutional racism is upon him, and the bureaucratic thuggery that minoritised communities—and especially Black males—face in the United States, manifested here in the practice of civil asset forfeiture , follows.

When it comes to incendiary openings, it’s not quite Athena , but it’s not far off. Saulnier is no stranger to unbearable tension and horrifying release, after all. As anyone who has seen one of the best films of the 21st century would attest, he is a modern master of it. François Truffaut famously once said that the very nature of cinema, with its focus on entertainment and heroic imagery, means that there can be no such thing as a truly ‘anti-war’ film. That’s a debate for another time, but a similar sentiment can be extended to other ‘heavy’ social issues like systemic racism and misogynistic violence. Where does righteous agitprop end and exploitation begin? Rebel Ridge manages to avoid this thorny boundary by not leaning too heavily on shocking imagery; rather, there is a constant and unyielding institutional and personal threat that hangs over proceedings, and the film is more effective for it.

That’s not to say that things don’t boil over and explode. This is a Rambo riff, after all, and so they must. They do so in less gruesome ways than in some previous Saulnier projects, but there is a visceral satisfaction in seeing our hero turn the tables on the racist police force (apologies for the tautology). And ‘hero’ really is the right term here, as English actor Aaron Pierre ( The Underground Railroad ) puts in a powerful and mesmerizing performance, with a mixture of controlled violence and vulnerable sentimentality that proves a compelling combination. Rebel Ridge was originally scheduled to star John Boyega before various issues led to Pierre taking on the role. While Boyega would surely have performed excellently, Pierre has more than made the movie his own. He is a star here. Saulnier’s action staging and Pierre’s movements belong together. The film is not without its flaws. There is a slight lag in the middle—necessary in some ways for its plot and for the rhythm being generated, but it doesn’t quite work as well as it should. I also can’t help but think what it would all look like had it been shot with film instead of digital. Or indeed, if more time had been spent on post-production, a richer color palette and sharper contrasts would have boosted some of the atmosphere onscreen. These are relatively minor quibbles, however, as Rebel Ridge is one of the finest action thrillers of the last few years, and you should watch it immediately if that’s what you’re craving.

Also, it opens with Iron Maiden’s ‘The Number of the Beast’ blasting out, and you can’t really open a film with anything better than that.

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The assessment review: a conceptually compelling sci-fi that takes too long to make its point [tiff].

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All 12 Star Wars Crime Syndicates Explained

Lucasfilm sued over rogue one's use of peter cushing as grand moff tarkin, spielberg civil war movie’s “extreme” set recalled by star: “you couldn’t have a paper coffee cup”.

In the near future, if a couple wants to have children, they can only do so after being given the green light following a successful seven-day assessment. In the world created by writers John Donelly and Mrs. and Mr. Thomas (Nell Garfath Fox and Dave Thomas), there’s control of just about everything. This future society is also where people take pills to remain youthful and alive for far longer than typically possible. The Assessment, directed by Fleur Fortuné, is conceptually sound and looks incredible, but while it’s psychologically involved and provoking, it doesn’t go beyond the surface of its ideas.

The Assessment

Mia ( Elizabeth Olsen ) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel), an architect of the controlled world they live in, are desperate for a child. After passing initial examinations, Virginia ( Alicia Vikander ) is assigned to assess the couple in their home for a week. Virginia asks them invasive questions, watches Mia and Aaryan have sex, and pretends to be a child to learn more about what kind of parents they’d be. As the assessment approaches its end, the more Virginia works to psychologically torture the couple. The assessment and right to have a child brings its fair share of questions and tension.

The Assessment’s Worldbuilding & Cinematography Are Standouts

When it comes to building a near-future world and having us believe it exists , The Assessment does a fabulous job. Mia and Aaryan live in isolation, but what is in and around their home paints a picture of what this future looks like. It’s realistic enough to the world we live in today, but there’s a stiff, clinical feeling that permeates the characters’ surroundings that gives away the difference. This is a world that hasn’t erased the past, however, with the old world still existing right outside its borders.

Fortuné has a firm grasp of what this world is meant to represent and the feelings it evokes in us for the nearly two hours we’re immersed in it.

Mia’s mother left to return to the old world, and it’s a point of contention between her and Virginia, who seems awfully judgmental of that fact. When the couple’s friends come for dinner, in a stellar and riotously funny scene that includes an excellent Minnie Driver, the world expands with new information, and nothing is forced in that regard. Fortuné has a firm grasp of what this world is meant to represent and the feelings it evokes in us for the nearly two hours we’re immersed in it. I was in awe but trapped at the same time.

Magnus Nordenhof Jønck’s cinematography sharpens the colors of the costumes and set while making them dim enough to feel distant and cold. The coloring of the inside is a contrast to the vivid light of the sun and the clear blue of the ocean that sits just outside the house.

The Assessment Is Conceptually Sound But Fails To Deeply Explore Its Themes

The cast does great work regardless.

Mia struggles the most with the assessment because, despite wanting a child, she also craves the realness the process robs her of. This becomes even more clear as she’s faced with the confines of her situation — in the assessment and in her marriage. The Assessment explores themes of reality versus a controlled environment and what the characters are willing to do to remain in it out of fear of facing uncertainty in the old world. It’s fascinating to watch how this affects the characters’ dynamics, but the film doesn’t venture far enough to be wholly satisfying.

The Assessment is thoughtful and compelling, but it just doesn’t reach the heights needed to keep its momentum.

The assessment itself goes on for too long. By the time certain revelations come to light, there isn’t enough time to sit with them before the film ends. Characters make decisions that make sense for where their story goes, but there’s a lack of depth that leads to some narrative disengagement. When much of the film is about the chaos of Virginia’s actions, the assessment’s fallout doesn’t get any time to develop, and the ramifications for the characters thereafter feel underwhelming. The Assessment is thoughtful and compelling, but it just doesn’t reach the heights needed to keep its momentum.

This lack of exploration doesn’t affect the performances. Olsen has been making some great role choices, and here is no different. Mia is haunted by her mother’s departure to the old world and doesn’t seem fully settled into her life, something the assessment brings to the surface. Olsen portrays Mia with a frustrated impatience with a side of unexpected tenderness. Patel’s Aaryan is aloof, often disappearing into his simulation lab to create things that are almost real but not. He goes through a lot too, but he’s more patient and content to live in a world of his own creation.

Vikander is the highlight of the film. She’s completely unhinged as Virginia, oscillating between uncomfortable behaviors and wild tantrums to straight-laced corporate decorum in the span of minutes. It’s just too bad The Assessment fails to explore her character any further considering the ending. The film may have its faults, but it’s still a thoughtful rumination on the willingness to ignore reality and what people are ready to give up — including their dignity — to get what they want despite losing their freedoms. Fortuné has a good grasp of the world, even if she doesn’t push more than needed.

The Assessment premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is 109 minutes long and not yet rated.

In a future where parenthood is strictly controlled, a couple must undergo a rigorous seven-day assessment to prove their fitness to have a child. What begins as a hopeful journey spirals into a psychological nightmare, challenging their relationship and pushing the limits of their moral boundaries in a dystopian society.

• The film's cast is great, and Alicia Vikander is especially a standout
• The world and the way it visually looks is exciting
• The story takes too long to get to its point
• The film's themes could've been more deeply explored