At Finestkind’s West Hollywood premiere, the film’s director, Brian Helgeland, mentioned that the script was written before some of the cast members were born. Notably, Toby Wallace and Jenna Ortega, who played significant roles, were part of Helgeland’s script, which is over 30 years old. Recently released on Paramount+, Finestkind (2023) revolves around the performances of veteran actor Tommy Lee Jones and the immensely talented Ben Foster. It boasts a cast with impressive resumes. Helgeland, an Oscar-winning screenwriter for Mystic River, directs the film. Perhaps that’s why, despite the surface-level plotline, audiences find themselves deeply connected to the father-son bond depicted in the movie. Without further delay, let’s delve into the plot.
Spoilers Ahead.
‘Finestkind’ (2023) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with Charlie meeting his elder brother Tom. Tom is a fisherman who is the captain of a boat named Harmony owned by a different company. Charlie is basically Tom’s stepbrother, and Tom hasn’t seen his mother for a long time now. Charlie idolizes Tom even though the younger brother gets a chance into Boston Law School while the elder one is a fisherman himself. But Charlie doesn’t see things as such. He wants to explore his wants to understand himself more.
Harmony, along with her crew members, leave for fishing. Charlie begs Tom to indulge him as his crew member, and Tom fails to deny his wishes. Soon, Harmony faces an engine failure, and all the members of the crew are now floating inside a lifeboat of some sort and waiting for someone to rescue them from the middle of the ocean. Finally, the help arrives, and soon after, Tom goes to meet with Mr. White, who owns Harmony. Tom believes that the maintenance is not done properly on Harmony, due to which the boat dies in the middle of the ocean.
What proposal does Ray bring to Tom?
Charlie’s father does not really want his son to be a fisherman like Tom. He comes to talk to him when Mabel interferes by saying he should not behave harshly with his son. Charlie finds Mabel very attractive, and they pair up pretty well. Meanwhile, since the boat is gone and Tom has a brawl with Mr. White regarding the boat, the crew doesn’t know whether they will be able to catch some fish in the near future.
At this moment, Tom’s father, Ray, comes with a proposal. He suggests that Tom can bring in his crew and take his boat ‘Finestkind’ into the sea to catch some fish. Tom doesn’t know the real reason behind such a humble request, but he agrees to the proposal. He then speeds up the process with his crew members, and together they go into the deep seas again to secure their living once again.
Why is the Finestkind being seized?
Tom, excited about having the opportunity to prove his worth in front of his father, decides to cross the borders and go into deeper seas to grab Oysters that are worth more. But, unfortunately, the Canadian spotter planes pick up their boat and just before they can make it to their home, the Canadian authority seizes their boat. Tom is vastly disappointed as he knows that Finestkind means a lot to his father. He goes to meet him at his house when the neighbor says Ray has left for Boston.
When Tom and Charlie reach Boston, they find out that Ray is afflicted by stomach cancer, and he does not have much time left. Tom feels more disappointed while giving the news to Ray that the Finestkind is being seized by the authorities. Ray angrily rebukes him for being selfish and crossing the border. However, with Charlie’s wise words, Ray comes to realize that being caught in the process is just bad luck and nothing else.
Why does Tom agree to deliver heroin?
The court of law fines 100,000 dollars otherwise, Tom has to lose Finestkind once and for all. Tom doesn’t know what to do, neither does his crew. At this time, Mabel comes up with a proposition via Charlie. Mabel’s mother is in the drug business, and so she knows a guy named Pete Weeks. As per Mabel, Tom is required to carry a shipment from the sea and deliver it to Weeks. The work pays the exact 100,000 dollars that they are in need of.
Tom knows he has no option to find the money other than this. So, he decides to meet with Weeks. Weeks gives him 20,000 dollars in advance, and Tom’s crew goes into the sea again. Only this time, they are not only fishermen, but they are dealing with drugs. An airplane drops the shipment in the wrong place. However, Tom’s crew grabs it and finds out there is a lot more heroin than they expected. Anyway, they secure the package and wait for Weeks’ call to deliver the package.
What happens when Tom and Charlie go to deliver the heroin?
The next day, Weeks asks two of the crew to come and deliver the heroin. Tom picks his best mate Costa, but Charlie says that he wants to take part in this. Since the whole reason is Ray’s happiness, the sons decide to stick together until the very end. But, when they are about to reach the destination, a few men dressed as cops surround them and capture the drug. Tom knows then that they are not real police officers.
The following day Weeks comes into Costa’s house and warns them to give his drug no matter what or else he will kill each one of them. He even shoots Costa in front of his pregnant wife. The injury is not severe. But Tom knows that if Weeks doesn’t get his drug by the next day, no one from his crew is going to be alive. He knows that someone must have betrayed the whole crew, and he tries to find out who.
Finestkind (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
What happens to Weeks and his crew?
Tom starts to disbelieve everyone as he finds himself in a situation where everything could go wrong within a minute. He kicks open the door of Skeemo, one of his crew members known for handling drugs. However, upon entering Skeemo’s house, Tom discovers that there are much more expensive drugs than Skeemo typically deals with. He confronts Skeemo about the money, and after pointing a gun at him, Skeemo confesses to stealing the drugs for his own gain, possessing more money to spend on his drug addiction.
Fortunately, Charlie intervenes to calm Tom down, preventing him from killing Skeemo for his betrayal. Nevertheless, they are still required to deliver the drugs, no matter the circumstances. Together, they proceed to meet with Weeks. Meanwhile, Charlie has already informed Ray about everything that transpired. Ray arrives at the meeting spot before Tom and Charlie enter the food joint to meet with Weeks and his men. He offers them $15,000, his entire savings, in exchange for leaving his kids alone.
Weeks attempts to make Ray understand that the sum is insufficient to cover the mess caused by Tom. He even ridicules Ray for standing up for his son. In a sudden turn of events, Ray retrieves a pistol from his bag and shoots all three men, including Weeks. By the time Tom and Charlie arrive, Weeks and his men are already dead. Before the police arrive, Ray tells Tom that he’s ready to sacrifice himself to save his son.
How does Charlie help Tom to free Finestkind from the authorities?
Charlie seeks help from his parents. He asks his father for $100,000 to save Ray’s boat. Initially resistant and unwilling for Charlie to be associated with them, Charlie’s father eventually realizes that Charlie’s happiness is intertwined with Tom. Charlie idolizes Tom to the extent that he can’t envision his life without him. Consequently, he decides to provide the money and invests himself in their fishing business, preferring not to let his son wander through life alone.
At the end of the film, Mabel is seen bribing a man responsible for allowing boats to pass through a bridge. The crew shouts as Ray, who is being transported for imprisonment, witnesses the moment when they successfully secure Finestkind for themselves. Overwhelmed with emotion, Ray sheds tears as he watches his boys set sail with his most cherished possession on earth, his boat, his Finestkind.
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