Blood

"Blood" is a crime film directed by Nick Murphy ("The Awakening", "The Secret") that is lucky enough to cast some of the best British actors like Brian Cox, Paul Bettany, and Stephen Graham. The story is about two siblings, Joe (P. Bettany) and Chrissie (S. Graham), both police officers working cases together and with a father (B. Cox) that has also been a cop in the previous years and is now retired and mentally disabled. When the body of a young girl is found the brothers will zero in one suspect, Jason Buliegh (Ben Crompton), that seems very likely to be the culprit of this gruesome crime. They interrogate him but they are forced to release him due to the lack of enough evidence to charge him. Joe is absolutely certain for Buliegh's guilt so he along with Chrissie abduct Jason in order to make him confess the murder. Things get out of hand and Joe kills Jason by hitting him in the head with a shovel. After that, the audience watches the gradual crumbling of both Joe and Chrissie, each one struggling to accept their terrible deed and fight their inevitable feelings of guilt. This will worsen further when they realize that they blamed the wrong man and that Buliegh was actually innocent of the girl's homicide. "Blood" works fine as a psychography of the two protagonists and it is more of a family drama than a veritable crime film. Of course, there is a plot, that involves one of the siblings' colleague, Robert (Mark Strong), suspecting Joe and setting out to find the truth behind Buliegh's sudden disappearance. Strong does also a fine job in a secondary role, playing Robert with a subtlety that makes the character likeable. Joe played magnificently by Bettany, is portrayed as the more cynic of the two, maybe because he has more to lose than Chrissie, being a husband and a father of a teenage girl. Chrissie, on the other hand, exhibits a more volatile behavior always appearing to be just one step from completely breaking down and confessing the crime. The family dynamics, involving Joe, Chrissie, and their demented father is the sole focus of the director, so do not expect a highly suspenseful crime/thriller. Nevertheless, the suspense is kept alive throughout the movie's running time, though in a low-intensity level. The finale is sad, though fitting the film's overall mood and character. The chance of redemption is dying out once and for all for Joe.who is brave enough though to finally confess his misdeed in order to save his father. If you enjoy films that center around similar themes, I believe that "Blood" will appeal to you. If not, better skip it.

I seldom find British detective movies any good, apart from Sherlock there isn't alot to be a fan of. This movie was based on a 2004 TV series called Conviction. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that series anywhere but It is clear that the writer and director were huge fans of the series and wanted to do it justice. There is a great sense of passion and respect for the storyline and the actors truly seem honoured to be a part of the movie and gave it their all. I loved this movie, it was tense and mysterious, and maintaned that feeling through out. I was glad to see some familiar faces in the cast from some of my favourite movies and series. The acting was brilliant, the storyline was engaging and the cinematography was captivating. Every scene had a purpose and no time was wasted as the story developed, I found myself completely losing track of time. The style of story telling and the underlying dread of the story reminded me of Black Mirror, which I also love. I cannot praise this movie enough and it makes me sad that it has a rating below 7 or 8 because it deserves so much more, any crime drama fan should give this movie a fair chance.

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.

i was looking for something with a bit of grit and I found it in this movie.The acting was very good and the plot was interesting and suspenseful.The characters and the darkness of the movie all contributed to the feel of the movie which left me invested in the characters and how the investigation would play out and affect the lives of those involved. The acting by Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham was intense and the relationship between the two brothers was well developed. I liked the fact it had an ending which completed the story as there is nothing worse than watching a movie and they don't deliver the whole spectrum of the story. Definitely worth the watch.

Great actors, interesting (though it could go anywhere, but it took plenty of intriguing turns) premise, okay cinematography, yes, yes, yes... bút: 'Blood' failed quite miserably all in all. The main problem is that there is so much crammed into only ninety minutes that it is simply impossible to take. All of the ideas have potential, but hardly any of them come out right. After seeing this one, I found out there was a 360 minutes miniseries years before on which this was based ('Conviction'), I hope I'll be able to find it somewhere, hoping it will turn out to be just the appropriate form - and that the acting will be (at least) just as good. 3 out of 10, mostly for the acting. P.s. I was really taken with the small, small supporting role by Adrian Edmonson - when's he going to get a lead in something significant?!

The movie is pegged as a thriller but I prefer calling it a psychological drama with thriller features. As the storyline would have you think, the premise lends itself to a variety of ways it could have gone, however the best one was the psychological thriller and that is what most viewers would like hope to see when selecting this movie. I recognize the film did not go over so well with critics and they are entitled to their say; well they're paid for it anyway. Sadly, the audience also did not trip to the overall production and I, well I'm usually easy going, am on the fence with that one. Cops, brothers to boot, investigating a crime they themselves have committed entails possible clichés we are likely not thrilled to watch, but director Nick Murphy (and Bill Gallagher the writer) have managed to avoid those to my satisfaction. I'm a fan of Mark Strong and though he delivered a solid performance, his character did not really have a major part, not as much as I was hoping for. Brian Cox, who played the retired cop and father to the brothers, was excellent in his role, as anyone familiar with him would expect. The movie starts off with a crime scene and introduces us to Joe and Chrissie Fairburn, played respectively by Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham, the brothers. We get a glimpse of the intense personality of Bettany's character at that moment. The movie will then progressively and methodically immerse us in Joe Faiburn's hell, the demons he struggles with and despite that he is what one could call a good guy, the journey into his unravelling. On that basis, I would have felt stronger about endorsing the movie, but alas, I cannot; not that Bettany does not perform his little heart out, and he is an actor who can deliver such, but I know more viewers may well be disappointed with the direction the story goes and ends, so I won't. I chose to watch this movie because I was curious to see what sort of actor Stephen Graham was; I knew him solely from his role as Al Capone in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. I was impressed by his performances in the series and now that I've seen him in a motion picture, I will consider any future film in which he'll be playing more than a third casted role.