BLOOD TIES is French director Guillaume Canet's remake of his own French film RIVALS, charting the stormy relationship between two brothers in the 1970s. One of them is a violent career criminal fresh out of prison, the other a hard-working and virtuous cop determined to do the right thing. Their contrasting professions mean they're on a collision course and yes, there will be blood.
This isn't an intrinsically bad film. Certainly it has all of the elements to make for good cinema: a gritty realism, some strong performances from an ensemble cast, and perfect attention to detail in bringing the sleazy 1970s to life. The problem I have with it is that it just feels passe and all-too-familiar. The camera-work is sombre and the film has a downbeat atmosphere, but this has all been done time and time again and it makes the movie look clichéd. I want to see bright and vibrant films shot in original ways, not boring styles like the one on offer here.
Clive Owen is very good, cast against type as a ruthless thug and shining in the part - he's scary. Billy Crudup, who rarely gets much of an opportunity in cinema, gives the best performance as his sympathetic brother. Marion Cotillard doesn't do much other than annoy the viewer a bit, although old timer James Caan is always a welcome presence. Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana don't have much to do which is all for the better. There are some intense action scenes which are fairly shocking, although the film is spoilt by an all-too-familiar air of predictability which means you know exactly how it's going to play out.
This isn't an intrinsically bad film. Certainly it has all of the elements to make for good cinema: a gritty realism, some strong performances from an ensemble cast, and perfect attention to detail in bringing the sleazy 1970s to life. The problem I have with it is that it just feels passe and all-too-familiar. The camera-work is sombre and the film has a downbeat atmosphere, but this has all been done time and time again and it makes the movie look clichéd. I want to see bright and vibrant films shot in original ways, not boring styles like the one on offer here.
Clive Owen is very good, cast against type as a ruthless thug and shining in the part - he's scary. Billy Crudup, who rarely gets much of an opportunity in cinema, gives the best performance as his sympathetic brother. Marion Cotillard doesn't do much other than annoy the viewer a bit, although old timer James Caan is always a welcome presence. Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana don't have much to do which is all for the better. There are some intense action scenes which are fairly shocking, although the film is spoilt by an all-too-familiar air of predictability which means you know exactly how it's going to play out.