WAY of the GUN
A cool alien laser rifle helps make drama ‘Kin’ a little interesting — but only a little
The dog days of summer have brought a bit of everything this year.
First, there was, well, “Dog Days,” a harmless but also too-often charmless rom-com about people and their pooches. Next — and sticking with the four-legged theme — there was the oddity that was “Alpha,” about a boy and a wolf in the Ice Age. Last week, we had the rightfully R-rated and decidedly disappointing puppet-powered “The Happytime Murders.”
Lastly, we have “Kin,” a tale of two brothers on the run from criminals. It’s a pretty ordinary movie that feels like a hundred that have come before it.
If you ignore the super-powered laser rifle.
While it doesn’t quite drive the story, at least not until late in the affair, the cleverly designed and apparently alien slice of high tech is the coolest thing “Kin” has going for it. However, a gun that can obliterate what’s in front of it is not enough to crown “Kin” king.
Made by first-time feature directors Jonathan and Josh Baker, brothers who have spent years working in the advertising field and making short films on the side, “Kin” is based on their short “Bag Man.” It apparently made a splash at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, which eventually led to Lionsgate buying the rights to a feature version and interest in the project from actor Michael B. Jordan (“Creed,” “Black Panther”), who is counted among its producers.
The story centers around young Eli Solinski (Myles Truitt), a black boy who years ago was adopted by a white couple. His mother has since died, leaving the hardworking and morally grounded Hal (Dennis Quaid) to raise him.
It hasn’t been going great of late, as Eli gets suspended from school after being involved in a fight. And, as Hal will come to find, Eli has been sneaking into an old, fenced-off building to steal scrap metal that he sells with the goal of buying a new pair of sneakers.
On one trip into the building, he discovers the bodies of what appear to be a couple of spacemen — helmeted, human-sized beings — and a strong rectangular case of some sort. That case, he discovers at home after getting the machine to come to electronic life, would seem to be a powerful weapon of some kind.
Meanwhile, Hal’s older, biological son, Jimmy (Jack Reynor), is released from prison, bringing home with him a tremendous debt owed to a criminal element led by Taylor Balik (James Franco).
A life-changing event leads to the brothers Solinski, who barely know each other, hitting the road in Dad’s truck. Initially, Eli doesn’t know about an important fact Jimmy is withholding, while Jimmy is unaware his little brother’s bag contains a small laser cannon.
They are pursued by Taylor and his crew, as well as by a couple of new space people tracking the weapon, and make a new enemy early on in the journey. They also gain a friend in exotic dancer Milly (Zoe Kravitz), who is looking to start a new life and takes a liking to young Eli — while being appropriately concerned by the behavior exhibited by Jimmy.
If it weren’t for the occasional use of the big gun, “Kin” wouldn’t stand out from the pack in the least. (A nice story choice has Eli, but not Jimmy, being able to operate the weapon, the reason for which will be revealed before all is said and done.)
While more or less competently directed by the Bakers, “Kin” is a little slow, screenwriter Daniel Casey (the upcoming “Fast & Furious 9”) not finding enough of an adventure for the on-the-run trio. A tighter edit may have helped.
Similarly, the lead performances are largely run-of-themill, Reynor (“What Richard Did,” “Sing Street”) and Kravitz (the “Divergent” films, HBO’s “Big Little Lies”) giving adequate but uninteresting efforts. Truitt (“Queen Sugar,” “Black Lighting”), however, shows a little something that makes you want to see more of him.
As for the supporting players, Quaid (“A Dog’s Purpose”) gives the movie a little needed weight in his limited screen time, while Franco (“The Disaster Artist”) — sporting a bizarre haircut — is only semi-believable as a ruthless criminal. The talented Carrie Coon (HBO’s “The Leftovers,” FX’s “Fargo”) shows up late in the affair as an FBI agent, but she isn’t given an opportunity to do much.
You pretty much see where “Kin” is heading early on, with the very large exception of how the folks from space are going to play into it all. When that’s revealed, “Kin” suddenly feels like a prequel to a sci-fi saga that — and this is purely speculation — will never be made.
Well, at least the end of summer comes only once a year.