BLOOD TIES is a French attempt at those classic 70s NYC crime stories. The concept is an oldie but a goodie - two brothers on opposite sides of the law - but it never convinces. It has thriller elements - a police raid, an armoured car robbery and a car chase - but they're badly shot and derivative of better films. It splurges on the drama instead but only ends up with shouting and swearing. It doesn't help that the multi-national cast means lots of weird accents, or that the two leads are a pair of milk-sops. The only moment it comes alive is when James Caan gets angry at his sons during Thanksgiving; when he swears, you believe him. Unfortunately he's then consigned to the supporting cast again as the story heads towards its sorta-redemptive ending as one brother sacrifices himself for the other. The best 70s crime films had grit, soul and energy but this is a flaccid retread and at over two hours (half-an-hour longer than the French film it's based on) it's a real yawn.
Review of Blood Ties
