LFF Review – Blood
Title: BLOOD
Positives
Negatives
Blood is Nick Murphy’s follow-up to last year’s quietly eerie but underwhelming horror The Awakening, and it really feels as if the two have been painted with the same brush. Blood is dark and brooding and atmospheric, all greys and washed-out greens and blues, filmed somewhere on the English coast – it has the same [...]
Blood is Nick Murphy’s follow-up to last year’s quietly eerie but underwhelming horror The Awakening, and it really feels as if the two have been painted with the same brush. Blood is dark and brooding and atmospheric, all greys and washed-out greens and blues, filmed somewhere on the English coast – it has the same sort of chilling, dark hue as its predecessor; and the same mediocre plodding plot and script.
The film stars Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham as cop brothers – the first in unbelievable tropes as the pair couldn’t look less alike if they tried – as their investigation crumbles around them when they accidentally kill a suspect during questioning. The usual drama unfolds – the cover-up, lies, deceit, family drama and the rogue cop (Mark Strong) who is after their game. If it sounds to you like a normal Monday-night episode of Eastenders, then you’re not far off. Brian Cox also makes a befuddling appearance as Bettany and Graham’s father and former police chief, a man with Alzheimer’s and a wasted role; at least Strong has the space to camp it up a little, Cox is dealt the too-sincere hand that feels uncoordinated and borderline offensive through no fault of his own.
My problems with Blood are very similar to those I had with 2011’s The Awakening: it’s schleppy, it’s boring, it’s unexciting, there’s an interesting set of actors with very little to do but decorate the gloomy atmosphere and utter a few words from a contrived, sleepy script.
But no matter – you’ll soon forget about that as the story drags onward and your mind wanders to other places; it’s a shame that there’s no room to get up and put the kettle on in the cinema, which is something I do when my mum’s forcing me to watch The Jury one rainy, just-after-Christmas evening. Bill Gallagher, screenwriter, has a lot of familiar television credits to his name – Lark Rise To Candleford, Clocking Off, The Prisoner – fine for the little screen, squeaky and small for the big one. Blood is an ITV drama not-so-cleverly disguised as cinema; you can film and score as beautifully as you want, Nick Murphy – but you can’t polish a dull, lifeless turd.
Teri
Oh I am gutted. I was hoping this could have been good. Thanks for the great review Teri
Nice review Teri, shame about the verdict though. I thought The Awakening had lots of missed potential and it sounds like Blood does as well. The Awakening was my first review for Front Room Cinema, that takes me back!
Nice review. I still haven’t seen The Awakening yet, that’s the one w/ Rebecca Hall right? Hope it isn’t too scary for my nerves.
I was really looking forward to this after Paul Bettany’s interview with Kermode and Mayo last week. It sounded right up my street. My expectations are suitably lowered now!