Review of Blood Ties (2014) by Panta O — 22 Apr 2014

This French-American crime thriller directed by Guillaume Canet and fully financed by the French, is a remake of 2008 French thriller Les liens du sang by Jacques Maillot. That French movie was an adaptation of the French novel of the same name by Bruno and Michel Papet. The screenplay for this version was written by Canet and James Gray and somehow the end product was weird and unusual version happening in the '70s... well everything would be ok with me if the camera work was like from the70's, and the technology has improved a lot since then! The best part of this movie belongs to the performances of Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, and Matthias Schoenaerts. Their likable characters and acting skills must be the reason that this film was selected to be screened out of competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Simple story develops quickly ... after being released from prison, Chris (Clive Owen) tries to do the right thing and stay straight, but that didn't last long because he was almost unable to start a new life and soon returns to his criminal ways. This puts him in direct conflict with his brother Frank (Billy Crudup), a New York cop.

I enjoyed watching the charismatic cast, but story wasn't engaging enough - we stayed spectators only - until the end! The directing too safe, sometimes on the edge of boredom... this is the simplest way to describe what I just watched. If there is nothing better, go for it... it is watchable, and if you are a fan of the cast members - do not miss it!