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Reviews Cinema reviews Film review: Blood
| Film review: Blood |
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| Written by Ivan Radford |
| Friday, 31 May 2013 07:03 |
Director: Nick Murphy “Sometimes we can mistake anger for caring.” That’s sensible policeman Robert (Strong) to worked-up copper Joe (Bettany). And who can blame Joe for being tetchy? He’s got a lot to be worked up about. His father (Cox) was a ball-busting police chief and now has Alzheimer’s. His younger brother, Chrissie (Graham), keeps cheating on his partner. And they’ve got a killer to find after a 12 year old girl is brutally murdered. If Blood (also out on video on-demand) sounds like a TV drama, that’s because it is – the script is based on 2004 series Conviction – but Paul Bettany easily fills up the screen’s extra inches. Stomping around in a long trenchcoat like Columbo’s crazy cousin, he’s a wonderfully volatile presence; you never know when he’s going to start shouting at someone, get drunk or simply smack a guy with a spade. It’s a shame, theme, that the rest of Blood is so ploddingly predictable. From confessions and quiet scenes of shock to smiling villains and family drama, it’s a familiar reunion for all those old British crime tropes. Fortunately, it’s a reunion with top-drawer refreshments; Murphy, who proved himself a dab directorial hand with The Awakening, creates a grim vibe with subtle flashes of style, lingering on cigarette ends lighting up in the dark amid the bleak (unnamed) locations. A moving Graham and stoic Strong, meanwhile, provide solid support, and Brian Cox’s ageing constable gives events a sharp pang of sadness.
 Blood is out in UK cinemas now – and, if you’re nowhere near a cinema showing it, it’s available to rent on Blinkbox too. For more on VOD services, including a Netflix random button, visit VODzilla.co.
Blood film trailer
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