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Wicked Blood
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Entertainment One Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (3rd March 2014). |
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The Film
 A mess of heavy-handed chess metaphors, trite Southern-style family troubles, and a cliché crime narrative revolving around bikers, strippers, and an unhinged drug kingpin, "Wicked Blood" is a predictable and somewhat problematic B-movie with some A-movie talent that appears to have been suckered into slumming it. An immediately forgettable film that doesn't know how to use most of a talented cast, this is a simple story that's lazily written and directed with a curious lack of focus, resulting in a plodding plot and strange mix of characters that have very little chemistry on screen together. Orphaned sisters Hannah (Abigail Breslin) and Amber (Alexa PenaVega) live in squalor with their meth-head uncle, Donny (Lew Temple), in constant fear of their other uncle, Frank (Sean Bean), the rarified ruler sitting upon a rusted iron throne in his own little fiefdom in rural Louisiana. One night, grits-glop waitress Amber meets Wild Bill (James Purefoy), a seemingly kind man whose just moved to the little hellhole the others call home. Bill takes an instant liking to Amber, and she him. Unfortunately, neither actor seems to share the same affinity as their characters, and waitress' love affair with a man named "Wild Bill" is just one of many elements that doesn't resonate as intended. Meanwhile, Hannah, bored out of her mind and looking for a father figure to replace her recently deceased dad, approaches formidable Uncle Frank about the possibility of running drugs for him to make a little extra cash. Frank begrudgingly admits that Hannah should probably learn the family business. Plus, no cop would suspect a kid running drugs. Not that's actually a worry for Frank, who has most of the local law in his pocket. On her first run, in the scuzzy back room of a biker bar, Hannah finds Bill, who turns out to be her primary buyer and a high-ranking member of one of the most notorious biker gangs in the gulf region, and part of a massive drug distribution network himself. In her off days, Hannah plays chess with Donny, when he isn’t high. She's actually a mini chess genius, and whenever she plays a game with any one she’d always two steps ahead of them. In every game she plays, before it ends, she tells her opponent, “you either draw or you lose. I win.” Overextending a metaphor of check and checkmates, writer-director Mark Young pits Hannah in a game between furious Frank and biker buddy Bill, first as a helpless and easily sacrificed pawn, but eventually becoming a scheming grand master, a sort of Bobby Fischer genius to criminal ends, who tells them likewise to draw or lose. On the fringes of this game are Amber, Frank’s simpleminded, overly violent brother and right-hand, Bobby (Jake Busey), as well as Donny, the latter of whom is the only person Hannah wholly trusts. Amber, Bobby, and Donny are less significant pieces in the back and forth, chess match nature of the narrative, but somehow command more screen time than either of the big players: Frank and Bill. Ultimately, Bean––doing a fairly convincing southern accent––and Purefoy are under utilized, with most of the heavily lifting laid on the back of Breslin, who gives a wildly uneven performance, proving herself probably not quite ready to lead a film herself. In a never-ending series of interconnected vignettes, bridged by hapless repeated montages with voiceover in which Breslin pontificates on the finer points of chess, Hannah is passed around between these five people. When Hannah’s moved one too many times––one of the volatile men attack Amber, and threaten her––she sets out to end the game once and for all. The plot of “Wicked Blood” is predictable, succumbing to a number of expected clichés seen in better (and some decidedly worse) films of similar genre and tone, but that alone isn't why the film didn't work for me. Unoriginal plots can be saved by fine acting, and although there are certainly some fine actors here, they’re doing dull work. Very few moments on screen feel authentic, and character relationships fall apart when there is no chemistry where there should be some. Breslin and Vega have zero sisterly chemistry, which plays fine in beginning as Hannah and Amber are nearly estranged siblings going down different paths towards adulthood, but it proves problematic when they’re supposed to be sisters-in-arms united against everyone else. There're a few moments in the film genuinely nicely done. The sleazy backwoods Southern qualities, with all the homey hospitality of a mobile meth lab, are about the only thing that rings true in the film––thanks to the look and texture of the grungy production design and some nicely framed and conceived shots. And the unsung hero of the piece has to be Lew Temple, whose magnificent moustache seems to coax the sort of work one would expect from Breslin, Bean and the other actors that I've seen do good things in other projects. In the end "Wicked Blood" feels unnecessary. It brings nothing to the table, is a disappointing case of misused talents, and has the distinction of feeling far longer than it actually is––in fact it's one of the longest 90-minute movies I've ever sat through. "Wicked Blood" is messy and relies on an overused metaphor for a sense of faux profundity, but it's never terrible enough to having lasting impact. It’s just uneven and unoriginal. All of the above probably seems like damming criticism, but the fact of the matter the is, the most negative thing I can say is the truth: I'll probably forget "Wicked Blood" and its many flaws by the end of the week.
Video
"Wicked Blood" may be a mess of mixed metaphors and tangled themes but its at least a well shot B-picture, with surprisingly articulate cinematography that translates nicely to high-definition. Entertainment One’s 1080p AVC MPEG-4 encoded presentation, framed at 1.85:1 widescreen, is the result of a near-perfect digital-to-digital transfer. Shot on a 4K Sony system, DP Gregg Easterbrook carries through the metaphors embedded in the mashing chess match narrative with visual cues that reflect the duality of dark and light sides, two distinct and frequently conflicted styles; one which favors low-key high contrast tableaux draped in shadow and another that delights in an airy and even colorful lightness. Many scenes are backlit with slightly overblown whites. A favorite frame is a repeated scene in which Hannah and Donny sit at a chessboard against a bank of windows, withdrawn white curtains billowing in the wind. Night scenes and sequences in dingy dark interiors––uncle Frank's strip club and various biker bars––have inky blacks and supersaturated, dominant color tints (ambers and reds, mostly). Proving that digital technology has advanced to the point where it's near the quality of analog film stock, even scenes cast in intense shadow are noise free. The grainless image has impressive detail both in tight close-ups and wide shots of dense green grasslands. And the disc appears devoid of digital tinkering with no instances of artificial sharpening or noise reduction artifacts. The one issue with presentation is that the stylized photography often clouds the image, obscuring finer details either swallowed by shadow or overblown by brightness.
Audio
Unfortunately there’s something off with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Right from the opening––a literally explosive preamble of things to come, in which a trailer meth lab erupts in a fireball––the lossless mix disappoints by not dropping low enough with any meaningful bass. On the high-end, dialogue occasionally sounds brittle and harsh. Mid-range is less problematic, particularly the twangy southern-fried score by Elia Cmiral. Gunshots have suitable kick. But far too many scenes are drown out, muddled, and Tin-can hollow. “Wicked Blood" sounds annoyingly flat, and lacks the power that you would expect to support many of the sequences. An optional English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix (640kbps) and English subtitles have been included.
Extras
Like many Entertainment One Blu-ray releases,"Wicked Blood" includes a number of featurettes straight from the film’s electronic press kit. A few bonus trailers are also offered. Unlike the number of Entertainment One blu-ray releases, although singularly selectable the four interview featurettes (2.40:1/ 1.78:1, 1080p; 12 minutes 1 second, play all) are viewable in one piece. The collection of interviews more closely resembles a commonplace making of, with film clips and interviews from the set. Straight from the film's EPK, stars Abigail Breslin, Sean Bean, James Purefoy and Alexa PenaVega cover a number of topics (always prompted by an off-screen interviewer)––offering slight insight into their characters and engaging in some unnecessary recap of plot. Individual interviews are titled: – "Abigail Breslin" – "Sean Bean" – "James Purefoy" – "Alexa PenaVega" A spoiler-filled theatrical trailer (1.85:1, 1080p; 2 minutes 7 seconds) for "Wicked Blood" has also been included. Pre-menu bonus trailers are for: – "513 Degrees” on Blu-ray and DVD (2.40:1, 1080p; 2 minutes 30 seconds). – "Swerve" on Blu-ray and DVD (2.40:1, 1080p; 2 minutes 17 seconds).
Packaging
Entertainment One brings “Wicked Blood” to Blu-ray pressed onto a single layer BD-25, packaged in clasp-style keep case. A cardboard slip-cover has been included in first pressings.
Overall
I can't decide if the worst crime "Wicked Blood" commits is underutilizing its A-list cast or the shocking unoriginality of the production. The film brings nothing to the table and adds no new ideas to the genre. Breslin gives a wildly uneven performance, and has no sisterly chemistry with costar PenaVega. Bean and Purefoy both sport fine southern accents, but their characters have so little screen time they’re more like decorative touches to a story that's ultimately lazily executed. Really the worst criticism I can conjure is that I doubt I’ll remember anything from this film in a weeks time. It has no lasting impact, good or bad. Entertainment One’s Blu-ray release has excellent video but disappointing, thin sounding audio. Extras include EPK interviews with the cast and a few trailers. A rental at best.
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