Finch Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

Ups...

6. Tom Hanks' Reliably Strong Performance

Not a single person who watches Finch will be surprised that Tom Hanks gives another expectedly committed performance, and is the primary reason the film works as well as it does.

It's neat to see Hanks playing in a big-budget sci-fi sandbox like this, and given that he's the only human character we see on screen for basically the entire movie, it's largely his responsibility to keep audiences captivated.

Hanks' usual calming presence serves him well here, though the actor also gets a few opportunities to sound off when arguing with robot Jeff.

Hanks' chemistry with both his canine and robot pals - the latter thankfully played on-set by Jones - easily carries the film in even its less-interesting segments.

Hanks' standout scene comes in the third act when he discusses a traumatic incident from his past to Jeff. Director Sapochnik is smart enough to just linger on the actor's face as he tells this horrifying story, and Hanks characteristically knocks it out of the park.

Few would call this a stretch for Hanks, but he delivers a lived-in performance that absolutely sells how broken down, mentally and physically, Finch truly is.