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source: Blood Ties

I mean this literally. I realized when I started to watch this that I had already seen it several months ago yet I couldn't remember a thing about it. The first question you have to ask when you see a period piece movie is do they really need to set the film in this era. I don't get it for this movie; there' no time like the present. There were way too many personal angles to be addressed in a two hour movie (it felt like a lot more). If you want to tell this kind of story you should do it on TV. This is only my opinion but trying to make a movie that's supposedly all about acting is a huge mistake if your story is weak. This is especially true when Clive Owen is part of the cast as he's pretty thin on talent. The only reason that I am writing this review is so that I won't try to watch this a third time.

I don't get it. We are supposed to be engaged by the complex relationship and moral dilemmas of these two brothers. But most of the other reviewers (and presumably the filmmakers) don't seem to be bothered by the fact that one of them is a murderous sociopath. This is kind of a deal breaker for me in terms of empathy. And yet, the same brother chooses to spare the life of a man who is an obvious existential threat to his family. Stupid script, hackneyed premise, overstuffed soundtrack, and ridiculous casting, including two lead female actresses (Cotillard and Kunis) who look so similar as to be occasionally confusing. Amateur foreign film making masquerading as a tribute to 70's American crime drama. Viewers would do better by sticking with the real thing, for instance: Mean Streets (art); The Friends of Eddie Coyle (slick); Superfly (genuine American trash). Any of these would be a much more fulfilling and enjoyable use of 2 hours.

The cast made the film seem intriguing, but this is a terrible film. Clive Owen is Billy Crudup's older brother? No. Good brother, bad brother, ugh. So hackneyed, so amateur. Moments to remember: Clive loses his American accent in a few scenes, Mila Kunis attempts a NY accent in some of her scenes, accent on the attempts. True that Clive is well-equipped to play a sociopath, but that's not acting that's his face. The whole thing is a mess from start to finish. The only highlight was the period correct cars, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm giving it a 2 but only because there are actually worse films, but considering the cast here, this could easily have been a 1.

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would grant this stunted flop more than a two at best. Yes, the cast is great and that makes it all the more of a riveting disappointment. James Caan seems like an actor trying to play James Caan. The clichés hit he beach in Coney Island like a tsunami.The 70's effects while pretty consistent are wildly generic and the era continuity flaws albeit not the major problem are still relevant. No, my problem with this film is that it takes insanely capable skilled and even iconic actors and dumbs them down to an idle gray and boring level of energy. Of all the actors chosen for the lead , I mean really a botched casting with Owen. He took Q's from Nicholas Cage and the obvious Goodfellas similarities (tribute or plain plagiarism?) brought this movie to a screeching halt. If fact the only thing that kept the movie running or at least at all memorable was the 70's soundtrack which in itself was nothing major yet the obvious use of 70's hits made it a little more seamless.All of the action takes place in the first 10 minutes. Thereafter a downhill ride.

I can say right now that I prefer this film to the original, the french film made in 2008: LES LIENS DU SANG, starring Guillaume Canet, the film maker of this very one. Yes a powerful crime drama movie, with outstanding characterization and story telling. The scheme itself has already been shown before, in may other features, but here the screen play emphasizes on the relations between characters. There is no real villain here; even the Mathias Schoenheart's one, who plays here the ex con whose the cop has "stolen" the wife from. If you analyse the scheme, it appears that this "bad character at first sight" may on the contrary bring the audience to feel empathy towards him. The sub characters are also efficiently shown, in a poignant way, and there are may of them. Guillaume Canet is a really good director, even away from France.

While there is much to be commended in the fact that director Guillaume Canet and his production team have here in Blood Ties created a very decent recreation of the 1970's (with an overuse of record players, we get it OK, there weren't IPod's/CD's back then!) there is also much to be made of the fact that Blood Ties is a lifeless, seen a thousand times before, dull and dreary tale that fails to announce to us just why it exists. On paper, things within Blood Ties would seem to add up to a pretty decent family/crime drama, even moments within seem to suggest Sidney Lumet was a huge inspiration. We have a name cast in the form of Clive Owen, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana and the ever disappointing Billy Crudup, then behind the scenes you have a film not only produced but co-written by crime genre specialist James Grey and director Guillaume Canet who has a decent track record in his native homeland of France with films such as the excellent Tell No One and the decent Little White Lies, but nothing within Blood Ties ads up to any anything decent, nothing we see here feels emotionally engaging and no one truly seems to care enough to change it. Blood Ties needed someone too step up their game exceptionally within the piece, yet all participants seemingly rested on their laurels with the material and expected fireworks to happen. Canet's direction clearly did not help this dull overbearing feeling however with his stale, beyond workmanlike gig behind the camera transferring to one of the most bereft of life movies you'd care to see. Where is the tension to be found between warring brothers? The heart pounding experience of a crime in progress or the sparks between lovers? There is none of that to be found here despite the potential for it. Bloods Ties best moments are all taken/borrowed from other much better films of the same genre, whether it be a climatic train station scene (Carlito's Way), a bank heist gone wrong (Heat) or brothers torn between loyalty to their family/friends or loyalty to their job (We Own the Night or State of Grace) and they go to show you just what can be done with this type of film if it's done right. Blood Ties doesn't do many things right and that makes this a film worthy of being crossed off your to watch list, even if the cast list looks like a sure fire success. 1 record player out of 5 For more movie reviews and opinions check into - www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com