Blood

I wasn't as disappointed as others here. It was worth the time spent although it started out well as a psychological thriller and then became a cliché with a whole bunch of drama that lacked believability. The acting more powerful than the script demanded which could equate to a waste of talent. But again I don't see things that way. Fine acting is still fine acting whether the characters would show up in real life or remain frozen on a screen which is right where I leave them the moment the credits appear and I don't feel sad saying goodbye to any of them. No spoilers because I think we can see where it's going pretty early on ... Having found what appears more wrong than right, I wasn't bored and I waited until the very end to feel slightly dissatisfied yet anxious to hear what other viewers have to say. That's a good sign.

Blood deserves better than other reviewers have suggested. It is a small movie yes but it is intense and filled with first-rate performances from an excellent cast. Bettany especially is on great form, but then he usually is, as a man falling apart. You believe these characters, understand their motivations and emotions, even as you watch them get closer to the edge.

We may have seen many of the cast in bigger productions but there is no sense that they are slumming it and even the smaller roles are played in an incredibly realistic way. It reminded me of some of the best noir movies in the way the plot is driven by the characters' reactions to one fateful action and the way the claustrophobia mounts as they struggle to come to terms with what has happened. Recommended.

Rarely does a movie come along that slips under the radar of the movie goers of the world that is as poignant as Blood. I know people have a habit of watching Blockbusters and judging all movies based on the salary of the actors and the budget of the film. Blood is proof, yet again, that a movie doesn't have to be high budget to be beyond great. I very rarely rate movies as most people don't really pay much attention to the actual review that is associated with the rating. The entire cast and crew of this movie were exemplary and deserve the accolades that go along with it. I have a new benchmark to base all crime dramas off of now thanks to this great and powerful movie.

The brothers Chris and Joe are policemen working together. A family tradition. Their old Dad was also a detective, now suffering from the first signs of Alzheimer's decease. They get frustrated when they can't get a former child abuser convicted for murdering a 12 year old girl, even if they find her necklace and some pictures of her in his apartment. They start off with untraditional methods to get him to confess.

This is the start of this British crime thriller, which follows in the great tradition of this kind from the isles. The start is bleak, but takes on a strong turn, which grabs your interest intensively.

A strong cast, with Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham leading on, with great Brian Cox as the father, and Mark Strong as a colleague, and Ben Crompton as the pedophile. Strong performances all over, also from the kids. Bettany is great when he gets this haunted look.

The film is suspenseful and atmospheric, though filmed in bleach colors, making in just the more real looking. Recommended!

BLOOD is the film version of a lengthy BBC miniseries called CONVICTION, in which a pair of detective brothers struggle to cope with the demands of the job while caring for their father who's suffering from dementia. When a young girl is found brutally murdered in the local skate park, her death drives the men over the edge.

Wow, this is one of the darkest movies I've seen in a while. It's almost wrist-slittingly grim, with a cast populated by the mentally ill, perverts, and psychopaths. The film was shot in the Wirral and looks dark and grim throughout, with the only colour that stands out blood red. Depressing scene follows depressing scene, until the final nihilistic climax.

Despite the downbeat nature of the production, this is highly watchable thanks to the talents of a fine cast. Paul Bettany excels as the volatile lead, with Stephen Graham giving a typically assured turn as his stressed-out brother. Brian Cox still shines even in his later years as the elder struggling with memory loss. There are even roles for former comedian Adrian Edmondson and Ben Crompton, best known for his role as one of the Night's Watch in GAME OF THRONES. And I can't say out pleased I am to see Mark Strong NOT typecast as a villain.

The plot is a simple one and yet there's so much incident packed into the scant running time that it ends up being very fast paced with barely room to go out of the room and make a cup of tea. I'm glad it has a short running time too; I'm not sure I would have wanted to sit through hours and hours of this grim story. A British Scandi-noir type thriller, BLOOD deserves plaudits for the work of its cast alone.