Finestkind Ending Explained: What Is Charlie and Tom’s Relationship?
From December 15, 2023, it will be available on Paramount+ Finestkind. It is a film with Jenna Ortega and Tommy Lee Jones, directed by Brian Helgeland. The protagonists are two brothers, who grew up in different worlds and find themselves as adults in the commercial fishing sector. After agreeing with some Boston traffickers, they find themselves having to face dangerous situations and important choices.
Finestkind: Summary Recap
Set in the port city of New Bedford, the plot of the film Finestkind begins with 20-year-old Charlie who reaches the dock to meet his older brother Tom. The two are half-brothers, children of the same mother, Donna, and the first has always wanted to spend time with the other, especially when they have grown apart. Charlie wants to refuse to go to university, even though he was selected at Boston University Law School. Tom knows the risks of his job and therefore initially refuses to take his brother with him. But Charlie doesn’t lose heart and so Tom allows him to work with him, but only for the moment.
Although he faces his first boating accident, the 20-year-old still believes he wants to stay with his brother and become a fisherman. So in the end Charlie stays and Tom gives him the chance to join the crew. The latter, however, was left without a boat and is convinced that this happened due to the engine problem, neglected by the fishing company he works with. This leads to a fight between Tom and the company manager. Charlie takes care of calming his brother and giving him comfort. The 20-year-old is not used to all this, as he has always had a comfortable life.
Finestkind Ending Explained: What Is Charlie and Tom’s Relationship?
Towards the finale of Finestkind, Charlie and Tom must find money for Pete Weeks. For this reason, the first told everything to Eldridge. The latter, who probably feels guilty for not having been a perfect father for Tom, decides to help them. He is not afraid of the consequences, as he knows that he has little time to live. Eldridge goes to Weeks, who asks him to forgive Tom and offers him 13 thousand dollars, or all of his savings. The trafficker, however, bursts out laughing and tries to force him to leave his shop. But then Eldridge pulls out a gun and kills everyone, including Pete.
The man’s reflexes and his agility led us to hypothesize that he had to deal with this world in the past. Eldridge is arrested by the police and, at the same time, manages to save his son Tom. Charlie decides to continue being a fisherman with his brother and asks his father for the money to pay off debts. Gary agrees to do this as an investment in the fishing industry. Meanwhile, the love story between Charlie and Mabel also continues. Finestkind ends with Tom and Charlie finally managing to get Eldridge’s boat back, who is meanwhile taken away in a police van. In the finale, Tom assures us that he will carry on his legacy in the world of fishing.
What Is Charlie and Tom’s Relationship?
Donna had a romance with Eldridge, with whom she had her first child, Tom. When they broke up, she began a relationship with Gary, who married her. The latter is a rich and influential lawyer, with whom Donna had Charlie. Today Tom wants to make a change in his life and decides to go beyond the law, looking for clams in deep waters. He thus crossed international borders, illegally entering Canadian seas. The Coast Guard catches him and his crew. When they return to the port, they are all stopped by the US authorities. The Finestkind boat is thus seized and Tom fears that his father’s fishing license will be confiscated. Meanwhile, the two brothers discover that Eldridge has cancer and is dying. This is also why they are sorry that the boat is blocked and avoid telling him. Tom searches for a way to recover it but to no avail. Meanwhile, Charlie gets close to a girl, Mabel.
Their friendship becomes a love story, and it turns out that the young girl’s mother is a drug dealer. To recover the boat, Tom needs to pay a fine of 100 thousand dollars. To help him, Charlie uses Mabel’s mother’s contacts and suggests that his brother make a deal with a trafficker, Pete Weeks. Tom is initially not convinced of the plan but then agrees to recover his father’s boat. The two brothers fall victim to a shady conspiracy that leads them to lose a shipment of drugs. It turns out that Skeemo is behind what happened. Now Tom and Charlie are in serious trouble, as they also have to repay Pete.
The Setup
- Tom and Charlie: Estranged brothers Tom (Toby Kebbell) and Charlie (Theo James) reunite after their father’s death. Tom is a fisherman struggling to make ends meet, while Charlie is a successful writer who has returned home after a long absence.
- Debt and Desperation: Tom’s fishing crew is drowning in debt to local gangster Frank (Aaron Staton). In a desperate attempt to pay him off, they agree to smuggle a large quantity of heroin across the Canadian border.
- Complications: The smuggling operation goes awry, and the drugs are lost at sea. Frank blames Tom and threatens to kill him if he doesn’t come up with the money.
The Climax
- Ray’s Sacrifice: Tom’s father, Ray (Ben Kingsley), intervenes and offers himself as collateral to Frank. He arranges a meeting with the gangsters and plans to give them his life savings in exchange for Tom’s safety.
- Double-Cross: Unknown to Ray, Charlie has secretly contacted the authorities about the smuggling operation. A coast guard helicopter arrives at the meeting point, and a shootout ensues.
- Tragedy: Ray is shot and killed in the crossfire. Tom, devastated by his father’s death, vows revenge on Frank.
The Resolution
- Showdown: Tom and Charlie track down Frank and his men at a local bar. A violent confrontation breaks out, and Tom ultimately kills Frank in a one-on-one brawl.
- Consequences: Charlie, horrified by the violence, realizes that he can’t condone Tom’s actions. He leaves his brother behind and drives away.
- Uncertain Future: Tom is left alone, facing the weight of his choices and the uncertain future that lies ahead.
The Ending’s Ambiguity
The film’s ending is deliberately ambiguous, leaving many questions unanswered. It is unclear whether Tom will be caught for his crimes, whether he will reconcile with Charlie, or whether he will find a way to escape the cycle of violence and despair that has consumed his life.
Themes and Interpretations
- The Price of Loyalty: The film explores the lengths to which people will go for family and loyalty. Tom’s actions, while morally questionable, are driven by his love for his brother and his desperation to protect him.
- The Burden of the Past: The film’s setting in a declining fishing community reflects the struggles of working-class families in a globalized economy. Tom and Charlie are both haunted by the mistakes of their past, and the film suggests that the sins of the fathers are passed down to the sons.
- The Cycle of Violence: The film’s bleak ending suggests that violence begets more violence, and that it is difficult to break free from the cycle once it has begun.
