Blood Orange

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.

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.

Iggy Pop is inspired casting as Bill. His performance is beautifully nuanced and controlled. The relationship between Bill and his young wife Isabelle is entirely convincing. Kacey Barnfield is an alluring femme fatale - but just how calculating is she? The plot twists and turns, keeping the viewer guessing. Ben Lamb as spoiled brat Lucas is suitably shifty. Antonio Magro makes David, the clueless pool boy, a believable character. The Ibizan setting works well - Bill strides through the landscape like the protagonist of a sinister Spaghetti Western - and the villa is an ideal backdrop for the drama to play out. Toby Tobias is a skilled director and writer who isn't afraid to take risks and knows how to ramp up tension. It's become the fashion to make overlong, overblown films. At 85 minutes, Blood Orange avoids any self indulgence and keeps the viewer enthralled throughout.

Yeah, baby. This is excellent.

Iggy cannot act to save his life, but it matters not.

Only five people in the entire film, it keeps chugging along with twists and turns right until the end.

Reminded me a little of Sexy Beast.

Good film.

Iggy Pop, though not a super actor, does his bit well...after all, he is playing an aging, 'sex, drugs and rock & roll' Rock star! (smile). While watching you enter into conversations from the main characters,.... trying to decipher where it started...as what you would do, if you were to mingle into someone else's conversation at a party....but you won't start to grasp it until a little while in, as the movie and characters start to develop. I found it intriguing, and being a major 'Secret Squirrel' fan, I am easily bored with thrillers that haven't taken the time to be inventive, have so many loopholes and you've worked out 'who done it' within the first 5 minutes! This movie is NOT one of those. With this movie, your intrigue into the characters backgrounds, keeps the momentum up and glued to the screen, leading you into a few directions, that clear up some unanswered questions you might have. Admittedly, the 'slooth' in me, had a spark about a third of the way through of what the conclusion would be, but it kept me questioning and in self doubt until right at the end! Well worth the watch for a low budget movie....well, I'm not sure what Iggy would have commanded, but movies like this I remember, as it's the Director that should be applauded for managing to keep us enthralled.