BLOOD OUT
US, 2011, 90 minutes, Colour.
Luke Goss, Val Kilmer, 50 Cent, Vinnie Jones, Tamer Hassan, Ed Quinn.
Directed by Jason Hewitt.
Blood Out is a straight-to-video action thriller. It stars British-born actor Luke Goss who began specialising in this kind of film after a music career in a boy band. He plays a local policeman whose brother is involved in drugs and is murdered by the outfits. He goes undercover in order to confront the chiefs of the drug cartels. Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson is a producer and plays a small role as an obnoxious detective. Vinnie Jones also appears as a gang leader, a less persuasive performance than many of his others (which means that it is not good at all). By contrast, British actor Tamer Hassan is convincing as a drug lord. There is a cameo by Val Kilmer, eccentric, to say the least.
The film offers familiar material but Luke Goss has a sufficiently strong presence for audiences to believe that what he is doing is credible. He also has the opportunity to use force and fight (in the vein of a Jason Statham movie).
1. Audience interest in this kind of action thriller? Straight to DVD?
2. The American settings, the city of Baltimore, the small towns? Police precincts? Drug activity? Drug lords and headquarters? Credible or not? The musical score?
3. The focus on Michael Savion, age, experience, in the shootout at the meth lab, the chase of the criminal, the little girl being shot? The debriefing afterwards? His meeting with his brother, not believing his brother at first, his brother wanting out of the drug gangs? His pregnant girlfriend? The news of his brother’s death? Going to see the Baltimore detectives, their attitudes towards him, sneering? His decision to go undercover, the range of tattoos, meeting the drug lords? His taking on the black gang and defeating it? Ingratiating himself with Elias? Getting jobs? Finding Gloria, her resistance to help? His discussions with Anthony and his wanting out? The proposal that he be the fighting champion? The setup with the undercover FBI agent? The fight, his victory? The police raid? His rescuing Gloria? The pursuit by Zed? His death? The future for Michael and the undercover agent? For Gloria?
4. The drug lords, Michael’s brother and his wanting out? The meeting? The setup by Anthony? Zed and Elias? Their killing the young man? Zed and his drug leadership – and Vinnie Jones’ poor performance? Elias and his arrogance, wanting everybody to bow to him? The women around him? Not spotting the undercover FBI agent? His reliance on Michael, getting him to be the champion? Their final confrontation?
5. Zed, the Vinnie Jones style? The contrast with Arturo and Val Kilmer’s eccentric style? The credibility of their being such important drug leaders? The build-up to the fight, Arturo losing?
6. The background of police, drug organisations, corrupt police, the drug lords? An interesting action thriller?
