Director: John Barr
Writer: John Barr (Screenplay)
Starring: Tom Berenger, Kristen Hager, Paul Ben-Victor, Jimmy LeBlanc, Mark Sivertsen
Plot: A retired veteran hunting in Northern Maine stumbles across a dead woman and a large sum of money.
Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Blood and Money starts when hunter Jim Reed (Berenger) finds himself accidentally shooting two people in the snow covered forest, looking to get out of the area quick, he learns that the two are bank robbers and looks to return to collect the money they have left behind, only to learn that their friends have come looking for the money, leading to Jim needing to show his hunting knowledge to stay ahead of the criminals.
Thoughts on Blood and Money
Characters – Jim Reed has been hunting in the forests for years, he knows the rules and what to do if he does break on of the rules, he tends to keep to himself for the most part and if he was to break one of the rules put in place, he will report before leaving. He ends up killing two people while hunting and learning they were bank robbers, he wants to take the money and leave, but ends up needing to use his survival skills to escape the friends who want the money. Bill is the leader of the people who want the money, he uses his men to try and track down Jim before he escapes with what he thinks is his. Debbie the local waitress that knows Jim from his visits, she is going through her own problems, which Jim wants to help her with.
Performances – Tom Berenger does give us the strongest performance in the film, being head and shoulders above the rest of the cast, who don’t get that much time to make an impact in the bigger picture.
Story – The story here follows an elderly hunter that on his latest trip, accidentally killing a couple, only to learn they were bank robbers and while trying to retrieve the money, he becomes the hunted. This story is a survival story, this will follow the idea that the experienced one will need to use this to get the advantage over the numbers coming after them. While this doesn’t bring too much new to the table, it will keep everything simple, being similar to Cliffhanger, without the mad action moments. The story does have a slow build, which could have a little bit more about it, but it will do all it needs to do.
Thriller – The film does try to keep us on the edge of our seats, with how the Jim will deal with the people coming after him.
Settings – The snow-covered forest will add to the difficult situation that Jim can use to his advantage, against how the criminals aren’t used to dealing with the conditions.
Scene of the Movie – Water scene.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is too slow for its own good.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow building thriller that might well get carried by Tom Berenger performance, but lacks the threat from the villains in the film.
Signature Entertainment presents Blood Money in Cinemas & Digital HD 16th October and DVD 19th October
