Set in what seems to be modern-day Detroit (although the setting is a bit vague), Kin revolves around a 14-year-old Black kid, Elijah (Myles Truitt), who has been adopted by Hal (Dennis Quaid). Hal’s biological son Jimmy (Jack Reynor) has just been paroled, and comes home. Eli goes through abandoned buildings looking for metal to sell, and stumbles on a cache of futuristic weapons. Jimmy owes protection money to local gangster Taylor (James Franco), who demands $60,000 that he doesn’t have. He tries to get money from Hal, but everything goes wrong, and the two brothers end up on the run with a lot of people after them.
It’s basically a glorified VOD movie with a bit more of a budget. It was based on a short film called Bag Man, and both were directed by brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker. The result is an odd sci-fi movie with some decent performances, especially by Reynor who is also in my favourite TV show Strange Angel. There are some good twists, with one at the end that suggests it would actually make a good start for a Syfy Channel series. There’s also a small role by an actor whose career has ballooned in the 12 months—see if you can spot it.
It’s maybe not worth running out to buy, but if it’s on Netflix or another streaming service, Kin is worth a watch. The film has a score by Mogwai which will probably become more notable than the finished film in the long term.
★★★
Ian Schultz
psychotroniccinema.com 