Blood (2012)
Starring: Paul Bettany, Mark Strong, Stephen Graham, Brian
Cox, Naomi Battrick, Ben Crompton, Natasha Little, Zoe Tapper
Plot: Joe and
Chrissie are detectives that commit the ultimate crime, and the fear of being caught turns their lives into a downward
spiral of guilt and paranoia.
My Review and Thoughts:
This is a gritty crime drama released from the UK. It’s a
murder mystery and ultimate reality based criminal underbelly of violence and a
terrific suspense thriller that leaves a lasting impression and ultimately concludes
with a perfect story. The acting is brilliant and believable and stunning for
the viewer.
You start right off. A young dead girl brutalized and raped
left out in the open for all to see. The detectives are quick to nab a past
criminal who now has found God. They find images and also items in his
apartment that lead them to question and think the worst. Your main characters
are two police brothers Joe and Chrissie. There father was a main player in the police department. Their father Lanny is now retired and
has Dementia. Both brothers feel they are looked upon to shine and are expected
to be as great as their father was.
Joe is haunted by a past case that he could not solve. Now
he is frustrated because the evidence is lacking for the new case that Joe
feels his perp has committed.
This is masterfully directed by Nick Murphy who is a
brilliant visionary talent that knows how to capture a story on screen and make
the viewer feel as if they are there. Nick directed one of my favorite films of
2011 the very underrated The Awakening which he also wrote. If you have not
seen The Awakening it’s a must see and you can read my review for it here: My The Awakening Review
Now this is a remake of a six-part 2004 television series
titled Conviction which ran on the BBC. Which was written by Bill Gallagher who
also wrote the film version.
This is truly dramatic and shocking. A brilliant piece of
crime cinema. Lies, secrets and cover-ups that create a memorable film that
shines in performances and gritty darkness of hidden justice and emotions that
run rampant with rage, anger and the ultimate sin of good turning dirty. One
out of control police detective leads his other brother down a spiral road of
lies and hidden murder.
Amazingly acted performance by Paul Bettany as Joe the out
of control emotional detective. Bettany is truly a shining actor in anything he
does no matter what it is he owns his parts and puts emotion and a reality to
his characters and the character of Joe is no different. I felt the anger and
suffering and all around emotions that seemed to bleed off screen into the
thoughts of the one watching. I really enjoyed his role and he is so talented
of an actor that I praise him as a true cinematic performer.
Another powerful performance is by Stephen Graham who plays
Chrissie, Joe’s brother. I first knew of his acting brilliance when his acting
caught my eye in the wonderful HBO series Boardwalk Empire where he played the
gangster Al Capone. I saw his talent there and his acting in this is no
different.
Surprisingly he has been acting since the beginning of the 90’s, but
it was Boardwalk Empire when I started noticing him. The chemistry between
Bettany and Graham is spectacular. Both own their parts and create a
partnership of brothers and detectives and the ultimate act of liars and the ones who hide the
truth of the ordeal. Chrissie is haunted and
disturbed and cannot wash away the images and the truth of what happened and so
the story revolves around the emotions and truth that is hidden.
A very well made drama with the undercurrents of crime
fiction. A mystery that you know and the aftermath is the conclusion you experience.
Brain Cox the extraordinary and fantastic one of a kind actor plays the father
clouded by dementia. Cox is amazing as the father and brings his wonderful
personal touches to the character. I have always been a fan of Brain Cox. He
always plays his characters in a believable way and makes the viewer follow
along with them. Most will remember him as the first Hannibal Lecter in
Manhunter. He is one of those powerhouse performers that never shy’s away from
touchy parts and also creates a deeper understanding of characters that are
good and also that are bad. He shinned in the independent masterpiece 2001’s
L.I.E. where he played a Pedophile who befriends a young boy. He also was phenomenal
in Jack Ketchum’s 2008’s Red. He has been acting since the 60’s and he shines
in anything he does.
This is an emotional brilliant and powerful film of mistakes
and the harsh reality of lies and cover-ups that end up destroying the peaceful
lives of all those involved. I feel this is a film that is well written, acted
perfect and directed flawless. How far are you willing to go to cover-up the
deed that will destroy you and all those around you?
A master-piece of emotions, family and storytelling.