Review: Blood

Although a loving family man and respected copper, Paul Bettany is clearly burnt-out and a case involving a murdered 12 year-old girl stirs in him bad memories of a similar past case that has never been solved. Bettany and his weaker younger brother Stephen Graham are so convinced that the guilty party here is a smiling little bastard named Jason (slimy Ben Crompton), but he has to be released due to insufficient evidence. This does not sit well with Bettany (who has started to unravel), and he decides to take matters into his own hands, bringing Graham along for help. He’s guilty, they just know it. They’ve clearly crossed a line, but what if Jason was actually innocent? The two men are obviously plagued by guilt, but more than anything, they’re simply worried that they are now in a whole mess of trouble, with white knight colleague Mark Strong (who is seen as aloof by his colleagues) looking into the matter. Meanwhile, the two brothers’ former cop father (Brian Cox), who used to be a real strong-arm type, is suffering from dementia and thinks cops have now gone soft. Apple, meet tree much? Adrian Edmondson (yes, that Adrian Edmondson) has a key cameo as an important witness.

 

Based on a 2004 TV series, this 2012 flick from director Nick Murphy (the rather good supernatural film “The Awakening” with Rebecca Hall) and screenwriter Bill Gallagher (“Lark Rise to Candleford”) feels awfully slim. Was the TV series cancelled really early in its run? It’s certainly not a bad film, it just feels way too slight, short, and obvious from the get-go.

 

Paul Bettany gives an outstanding performance complemented by the gloomy, oppressive visuals and atmosphere, reflecting the claustrophobic situation he and Stephen Graham (particularly well-cast as a lifelong sidekick/follower to the more dominant Bettany) are in. Bettany’s character is not in a very good headspace to begin with, and he puts himself into an even worse situation by acting out the way he does. However, the very fine Mark Strong (although solid as always) seems to spend much of the film waiting around to be written into the film, and it’s pretty shitty to use Brian Cox’s character as a mere tension-builder based off his inability to keep his trap shut and his inconsistent, Alzheimer’s afflicted memory. The role also offers the talented and often powerful Cox absolutely nothing to work with. Memorable cameo by the inimitable Adrian Edmondson, however, and Ben Crompton makes for a very creepy prime suspect, stealing his every moment.

 

This should’ve been a cracker, and it has oppressive atmosphere to spare, but the obvious plot does this one in. Watchable at best, mostly due to the underrated Paul Bettany, and the fantastically doomy and gloomy cinematography by DOP George Richmond (mostly a camera operator, he did shoot “Ghost Machine”, however). But it’s not the Greek tragedy ‘sins of the father’ classic it seems to be aiming for.

 

Rating: C+