Blood Orange

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.

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.

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.

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.