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| Review by Stefan Blitz |
In the Blood is watchable. But at times, even that statement is a stretch.
Starring former MMA Gina Carano, the film suffers from a muddled plot, bad cinematography, uneven editing, a wasted supporting cast and a lead actress who might be the least charismatic human being on the planet.
Newlyweds Ava and Derek (Carano and Cam Gigandet), both with troubled pasts filled with drug and alcohol abuse, take their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic.
Derek’s wealthy father (Treat Williams) has his doubts that Ava’s intentions are pure, believing that she’s after his money. He’s also unaware of all of her past, being raised by a creepy drug lord father (Stephen Lang) who taught her how to fight (with the same skill set obviously of a ranked MMA star)
When Derek is injured in an accident and disappears, Ava starts hunting down the suspects and the truth.
And starts punching and kicking a lot of people.
Eventually, the secrets, twists and turns are revealed and ultimately the resolution and it’s execution are both ridiculous. The film is violent and action packed, but not particularly exciting. It’s unexciting, and worse forgettable. The back story is reminiscent of La Femme Nikita but manages to avoid emulating everything else good in that film
Yet, despite the beautiful locations and the attractive Ms. Carano herself, the film is shot with a detached, clinical look reminiscent of an industrial training video, giving an unflattering look to Carano.
The editing is clunky and unfortunately distracts during the fight choreography. Considering Carano’s fighting skills are a major draw, quick edits and virtually incomprehensible action is another strong strike.
The supporting cast, especially Williams, Lang, Danny Trejo and the always entertaining Luis Guzman do what they can with their roles. But the film rests on Carano’s shoulders and unfortunately her limited range is revealed very quicky.
In The Blood is dull. Just what I don’t want in an action movie.
