Blood Orange

How on earth does this movie only have two reviews (so far) on IMDb?

The casting couldn't have been better and Iggy Pop is a stand out as an old rock star. Hmmm... I wonder how that could be!

Everyone except the dopey pool boy has a plan and they unfold at a leisurely pace until the final line is spoken.

It's difficult to talk about the movie without giving the game away but I was reminded of a similar movie in both style and substance... the superb 1987 noir (yes, noir), Black Widow... and the similar movies that it spawned.

This is an 'adult' thriller... there's not much in the way of actual violence. No shouting and no infernal young people in the way. Any thinking person and fan of legato measured dramas will enjoy this.

The songs are well chosen, the photography is exquisite and there's not a second wasted.

This film had little substance. The storyline was somewhat predictable, (though the ending was a surprise) - but plot holes still left this viewer with questions.

Dialogue between characters was mostly vague one-liners, volunteered without backstory or context. In particular, attempting to create a femme fatale out of Kacey Barnfield's character fell short as any insight into who Isabella was, her psyche, her history, was absent. Her character, which had promise, was left one-dimensional and under-developed by the writing. Because little explanation was given to the relationships between characters, their interactions felt facile.

Iggy Pop played the grizzled, ageing rock star role. However, the potential depth of his character was also limited by the dialogue.

First off, let me say both my husband and I are big Iggy Pop fans. So when we first heard about this film months ago, we got excited for it to come out. I pre-ordered a copy on Amazon.

Fans or not, no one can say Iggy Pop didn't do a spectacular job as Bill. He was PERFECT for the part. So many times he made us chuckle. Bill was cool. Intelligent. Cunning. Sexy.

Ben Lamb, Kacey Clark, and Antonio Magro were all believable, too, playing their characters well. The heat from Kacey radiated from the screen, and the relationship between her and Bill was nuanced and enticing.Their appreciation of who each other was is something I particularly enjoyed, it made me really feel they "got" each other.

The movie drew us in right away, and the tension built slowly, seductively, drawing us in even further. Very noir atmosphere.

I will watch it more than a couple times. Thank you for making this film.

While the premise may have similarities with "A Bigger Splash" and take its references from "La Piscine", this is a very different film indeed. It takes its time to unfold but then it shifts a gear, twists and twists again and then what was a sun soaked lazy art-house drama becomes a full on menacing thriller that keeps you guessing right up till the end. Iggy is a really charismatic screen presence - beguiling, darkly witty, quite a nuanced performance... Dangerous but still sympathetic. Kacey Clarke is much more than just a sexy femme fatale and Ben Lamb pitches his performance perfectly as the spoiled brat looking for vengeance but getting further and further out of his depth. This is a movie that knows how to play around with genre expectations. A smart, slow burning thriller that draws you in and takes no prisoners.

It goes to show what a clever filmmaker can do with a good story and just four actors in an isolated house.

Or maybe that should be five actors because Kacey Clarke as Isabelle is such a full-on sexy presence she almost counts as two people.

Bill (Iggy Pop), an ageing rock star lives with his beautiful young wife, Isabelle, in a secluded villa in Spain. It's a very nice place with a large, azure swimming pool. Isabelle likes to skinny dip at every opportunity, but this distracts the only other resident of the villa, David (Antonio Magro), the pool boy, His concerns over whether the pool has the correct amount of chlorine or if leaves have clogged the filter become a low priority when Isabelle drops her towel to do a few laps.

Still it's a pretty idyllic existence until Lucas (Ben Lamb) turns up. He is an ex-lover, but also Isabelle's stepson from a previous marriage, again to an older man. Dad left her all the dough and "he died happy" as she informs Lucas. However Lucas isn't happy and he broods.

Then things happen and I wouldn't spoil "Blood Orange" for anyone who hasn't seen it because just as in "Sleuth", a small number of people generate a lot of tension and plenty of surprises.

Kacey Clarke makes you believe the turbulence Isabelle causes among the men. Giving her a run for most arresting performance though is Iggy Pop as Bill.

Bill has gained insights into human nature, which he growls out from deep in his nether regions, mainly focussed on Lucas' shortcomings. I was never one to sleep out for tickets to an Iggy Pop concert, but he is perfect in this.

Apparently "Blood Orange" is a first effort from writer/director Toby Tobias. He's a name to watch out for, but this little sleeper will be hard to beat.