Kin

“Sixty grand and a space gun? Who the hell are you guys?” It’s a valid question to ask about the protagonists in Kin, and perhaps of the filmmakers as well.

This somewhat ambitious but mostly misguided potpourri of disparate genre elements is more noteworthy for its intriguing concept than its slapdash execution. It’s a chaotic story about redemption and male bonding with a science-fiction twist that emphasizes spectacle over substance.

The story follows Elijah (Myles Truitt), a rebellious teenage loner adopted into a mixed-race family years ago, whose suspension for fighting at school draws punishment from his single father (Dennis Quaid). Around the same time, older brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor) returns home after a lengthy prison stint, unable to escape his past.

Jimmy owes money to a ruthless gangster (James Franco), which instigates a tragedy and causes him to flee with Elijah in tow. During their subsequent visits to seedy motels, casinos, strip clubs, and underground poker games, they’re joined by an exotic dancer (Zoe Kravitz).

Then Elijah reveals that he’s stashed a powerful high-tech gun of sorts — which he found inside an abandoned building — in his bag. It’s capable of wreaking major havoc, but only he can operate it. Given their circumstances, it will come in handy.

The film marks a visually striking debut for sibling directors — and identical twins — Jonathan and Josh Baker, whose screenplay is expanded from their short film. The Australia natives keep the pace lively and benefit from an expressive performance by newcomer Truitt, who provides an emotional anchor amid the unscrupulous creeps surrounding him.

The biggest asset in their story is the mystery surrounding Elijah’s weapon, yet the big reveal about its origin and operation feels anticlimactic and even incoherent, despite an actor’s surprise cameo.

In this case, bizarre is better. However, Kin relies instead on its less compelling assembly-line devices, such as the road trip with estranged siblings harboring secrets, the stripper desperate for a fresh start, the villain who’ll stop at nothing for revenge, and the single father doling out pearls of wisdom. Even the more subtle examination of sibling bonds suggested by the title feels half-hearted.

A solid cast is squandered along the way, unable to elevate a contrived script that needs a tighter narrative focus to develop the humans more than the weaponry.

Rated PG-13, 102 minutes.