True Blood (1989)

Director:

Frank Kerr

Writer:

Frank Kerr (writer)

Release Date:

28 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

On the streets blood is thicker than evil.

Plot:

Ray Trueblood, member of a street gang, is framed by an enemy of a rival gang, Billy "Spider" Masters...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Gang | Brother Brother Relationship | Brunette | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Jeff Fahey	...	Raymond Trueblood
Chad Lowe	...	Donny Trueblood
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Jennifer Scott
James Tolkan	...	Det. Joseph Hanley
Ken Foree	...	Det. Charlie Gates
Billy Drago	...	Billy 'Spider' Masters
Brodie Greer	...	Det. Tony Williams
John Capodice	...	Frank Santos
Leon Addison Brown	...	Roach
Stanley Perryman	...	Blade
Everett Mendes III	...	Bobby Gaines (as Everett Mendes)
Shawn O'Neil	...	Woody McCaffrey
Jeffrey Vaughn	...	Jimmy Mack
Eavenly Shin	...	Charlie Jones
Maurice Phelps	...	Fred Parker

Also Known As:

Edge of Darkness (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

Brazil:97 min | USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Fries Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Version of Utol (1996)

Soundtrack:

BEYOND A DREAM

Recycled tale of brotherhood. (spoilers)

This movie is like the material S.E. Hinton was writing in the 1970s and Copola was adapting to the screen in the early 80s, and, had Trueblood actually been a product of either, the results might've been much better (especially in the acting department). Instead, we get a rather so-bad-its-funny piece of mediocrity.

Jeff Fahey plays Ray Trueblood, a former street rumbler, I suppose is the accurate description. This was in the days of action movies that used guys in their 40s and mid30s and dressed them up in greaser threads or some kind of more effeminate selection of gang garb and they fought to lousy 80s music. Nonetheless, Ray is the lone caretaker of his younger brother, Donny (Chad Lowe in a part where he screams a lot), who he is forced to leave behind inexplicably in a train station when, on the run from the cops, he is nabbed and forced to serve time in the Marines. Flash forward to present day and Ray is back in town and looking for his brother who has also become part of the street gangs, although in a gang that was Ray's adversary and now old scores must be violently settled (and again, cops must be dodged and this time, a lady's honor defended in the action film sense) before Ray can carry on life at normal pace with his brother, Donny.

For the most part, the film is quite ridiculous. For me, most of this has to do with far too much overacting, although not by Fahey or Sherlyn Fenn who plays the waitress he befriends. The guys in the gang and Lowe himself seem to do quite a bit of needless exaggerated as New York street toughs. Although, the bigger hang up is recycled plot lines and perhaps a kind of movie that was well past its prime as a product of 1989.