Blood Ties opens with a punch, an intense police raid in 1970s New York set to Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove”. It is our introduction to Frank (Billy Crudup), a no nonsense cop leading the bust. We soon encounter his brother Chris (Owen) being released from jail. The malfunctioning family unit is reunited along with their cancer stricken father (James Caan). Blood Ties follows the pair over the course of a year, both on different sides of the law and each brother dealing with his own complicated personal life. Frank is reunited with a woman (Zoe Saldana) he once loved, who is now the wife of the man he arrested in the opening raid. Chris, meanwhile, is reunited with his ex-wife (Marion Cotillard), a drug addicted former prostitute, and their two children before becoming entangled with a younger woman (Mila Kunis). These various subplots intermingle and soon the brothers are forced to confront each other when Chris returns to a life of crime.
Blood Ties feels somewhat sprawling in nature, its look at the relationships and interactions of its cast over the course of a year gives the film a large canvas but it retains a sense of intimacy. This is a tale of family after all. The time allowed gives the characters a chance to breathe, allowing scope and events to really unfold naturally. It is a very atmospheric film; the mood often outweighs the dialogue. Sets seem layered with grime and a real sense of authenticity is imbued into this portrayal of 1970s New York, ultimately reminiscent of much of Sidney Lumet’s work. While often brooding, the film is punctuated by solid action sequences, usually paired with apt musical cues which, while a little obvious, I found myself enjoying. Blood Ties is an interesting watch but it is a film that washes over you rather than reaches out and grabs you. I could see how some would say it is too long, but I enjoyed the luxuriousness of it.
There are some great performances, notably from the two leads. Clive Owen (Children of Men, Croupier) turns in his usual gritty style of performance. He possesses an innate charm and he embeds that into the film. He’s an asshole doing bad things but you can’t help but root for him. Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, Watchmen) has the harder task, the straitlaced brother. And he while he does great work, there is only one real moment of sympathy and connection with him, developed during a conversation with his father (Caan) about his dead mother. A fault of the writers rather than a commentary on his performance, more balance was needed in developing the brothers. Marion Cotillard (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) is a smouldering weary presence and does well with the material given. Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) and Mila Kunis (Extract, Ted) are somewhat wasted though as is James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball). For all the time the film has it should have handled its core characters — especially the female ones — better.
Director Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) brings together an impressive cast, a solid story and turns in a rather beautiful piece of cinema but there are some missteps which prevent Blood Ties from being a must see. While the length of the movie helps with development, it is poorly edited in parts. Passage of time is not conveyed clearly and you find moments where it is unclear if you skipped a chapter or time has passed. Some of the better scenes involve James Caan. Much is made of his illness, but never properly developed. Perhaps these are hints at a further subplot? It is a shame as his gravitas adds much to the film and brings so much more out of Owen and Crudup. Additionally, Owen and Cotillard’s exchanges aside, the rest of the cast do not gel, notably the two brothers. Individual performances are great but no one really seems to play off each other. This lack of “gelling” extends to many aspects of the film. Overall the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.
THE PACKAGEThe disc itself comes with the now traditional Ultraviolet copy for “watch it everywhere” fun. Picture quality is perhaps befitting its grimy 70s setting. Not overly crisp but good detail overall. Sound quality is particularly good, notably during set-pieces and the many musical cues. Dialogue comes through loud and clear. Special features are pretty sparse but a Behind the Scenes featurette is included that shows some of the setup and filming of various sequences from the film.
There is a lot to appreciate in Blood Ties. An impressive cast, solid performances and a great portrayal of a gritty 70s New York. However at times it feels like Scorcese-Lite. It aspires to greatness, weaving multiple plot strands and perhaps goes deeper into the ramifications of events than other films in the genre but a lack of momentum and depth to characters causes the film to stumble. There is a lot to appreciate but for all the style and effort it ultimately falls short.
Lionsgate Home Entertainment releases Blood Ties, on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD June 24, a link to purchase via Amazon is below.