Blood Ties (2013)
Despite the strangely French roots to this movie (director, writer, production company), this is a deeply American story with many traditional, almost overworn crime and cop/robber aspects. It works overall—it's not a bad film. It's gritty and well acted, and it plays with the clichés in an honest enough way to keep them alive and compelling.
Clive Owen has the biggest role, playing a con just getting out of jail. His father (James Caan) just had lung surgery and is apparently not in good health. And his brother (Billy Cudrup) offers to give him a place to live. This brother also happens to be a cop, and if there is something an ex-con learns to hate more than anything it is cops.
So the story is ostensibly about the two brothers and their conflict, and about some childhood incident where the cop brother betrayed the criminal brother. It's not like this led the one to crime, but more that the cop has always been afraid of doing wrong, and maybe afraid of standing up for his brother when the chips are down.
In a way this is the key to the movie—at what point do you do the right thing for society and turn in your very bad brother, your own flesh and blood? Some would say never. I'm not so sure. (The uni-bomber was finally revealed by his brother, and it probably saved some innocent lives.) But it comes down to that very deep honor, about doing right in some lofty sense, not just the letter of the law.
And this is the best part of the movie. The crime and violence part of things, with all the usual taunts and gun battles and hiding out, is all well and good, but it's pretty common stuff. The interactions between the two leading men is what makes the movie stand apart, and is why you should watch it. It takes on a less mythic quality than, say, "The Godfather," which of course is also about being true to family above all else (usually). And that's good, too, the grit and realism make even the outrageous and dramatic final scene believable.
Despite the strangely French roots to this movie (director, writer, production company), this is a deeply American story with many traditional, almost overworn crime and cop/robber aspects. It works overall—it's not a bad film. It's gritty and well acted, and it plays with the clichés in an honest enough way to keep them alive and compelling.
Clive Owen has the biggest role, playing a con just getting out of jail. His father (James Caan) just had lung surgery and is apparently not in good health. And his brother (Billy Cudrup) offers to give him a place to live. This brother also happens to be a cop, and if there is something an ex-con learns to hate more than anything it is cops.
So the story is ostensibly about the two brothers and their conflict, and about some childhood incident where the cop brother betrayed the criminal brother. It's not like this led the one to crime, but more that the cop has always been afraid of doing wrong, and maybe afraid of standing up for his brother when the chips are down.
In a way this is the key to the movie—at what point do you do the right thing for society and turn in your very bad brother, your own flesh and blood? Some would say never. I'm not so sure. (The uni-bomber was finally revealed by his brother, and it probably saved some innocent lives.) But it comes down to that very deep honor, about doing right in some lofty sense, not just the letter of the law.
And this is the best part of the movie. The crime and violence part of things, with all the usual taunts and gun battles and hiding out, is all well and good, but it's pretty common stuff. The interactions between the two leading men is what makes the movie stand apart, and is why you should watch it. It takes on a less mythic quality than, say, "The Godfather," which of course is also about being true to family above all else (usually). And that's good, too, the grit and realism make even the outrageous and dramatic final scene believable.