Blood and Money

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source: Blood and Money

Jimmy Reed (Tom Berenger ) lives in the back of his camper. He is attempting to get his buck in the Maine Allagash. His eyesight is not good and neither his aim. Like most Maniacs he ends up shooting a stranger who he thought was a deer. Hey! She had fur clothes on while on her porch!. She was part of a group that robbed a casino. So now it is Jimmy vs 4 bad guys with guns who apparently can't track one guy in the snow. The first American Legion I have seen that had a "No Alcohol" sign. PLOT SPOILER: Jimmy seeks redemption by offering the stolen money to a waitress in need. Does anyone else have an issue with that? Casinos are like the IRS and insurance companies. It is considered by too many to be acceptable to cheat them out of money. Guide: F-word. Too cold for sex or nudity.

Yeah, I know what you thought when you checked the title. "Another Berenger sell-out." How I loved to hate him in Platoon - he is, after Gregory Peck, the greatest living Ahab (as of this writing). So, for this film... you will be pleasantly surprised. Mr. Berenger (Jim Reed) actually gets to carry the bulk of the movie! That's right, you only get the glammy sell-out corn near the end, and even then only for a few scenes (essentially, wherever the dialog is overpowered by the f-bomb - I'm no prude, but - come on - get a thesaurus!). So, you actually get Mr. Berenger at an advanced age playing a somewhat suitable character. While I believe the role is still perhaps ten years ago for most actors, Mr. Berenger plays it eloquently (with just the proper count of sighs, groans, and moans - take this from an old guy). I believe him, and I see echoes of Sgt. Barnes in his demeanor. If the powers-that-be of this film had allowed Mr. Berenger to play it straight, in character, to the end, they might have had an "art film" on their hands. Such a shame. Still. Bravo, Maestro. Bravo. -S

When I think of Tomithy Berenger, I think of a smart man's action hero, throw him into the snowy Maine back-country with some cold hard cash (icy icy dollar bills) and a couple of straight up gangsters - fresh from the slots - on the chase, and I'm thinking; YES PLEASE! Let's be honest, this is decidedly a modest action movie that works hard at trying to be otherwise and often makes good on that endeavour. It's pop-corn and bubblegum with tried and tested story-telling devices that we've all come to love and sure, even expect. But Berenger's performance keeps you engaged the whole way and his character's arc keeps you guessing which way this is gonna go. As far as the world of the movie goes- the backdrop is stunning - said to be as close to the Allagash as damn it. I must say, the powder looks fresh along with the still beauty of the surrounds - its pretty special. Combine that with some interesting and edgy cinematography and editing styles & a haunting score that echoes the loneliness of those woods and you have a thick & rich atmosphere and you're right out there in the cold with our man. The film also stars Paul Ben-Victor, who I must make special mention of and who I think you will find too, does well to stay on the right side of the law - finally - quite novel for this Serpentine King. You'd be wrong to underestimate the ride B&M will take you on - it's one that is uncanny given the current state of the world - go ahead, Berenger's got your back.

After seeing previous recent Berenger films I was beginning to think he had lost a bit of his Platoon sparkle but after watching this I can still say there is life in the old dog yet. The film is your basic casino heist and search for for the cash in the winter mountains of Allagash but what makes this rise above the usual drivel is Berengers performance. Now either he is old , weak and frail in reality or he portrayed the role with perfection. You almost feel every step he takes, every wheeze that comes out of his mouth as he slowly and lugubriously makes his way through the carnage and you really feel for the character, I was egging him on; you just want the pace to move faster but it does not and that is its strength not its weakness as some other reviewers have pointed out. It feels like you the viewer are walking through molasses with him and that is a great achievement for any actor. The movie may be too slow for a lot of the crash, bang, wallop brigade but stick with it as it pulls no punches. Stir in some zero mercy / zero compromise action which is rather unexpected in these days of political correctness and the despatch of the bad guys is carried off with Platoon-like viciousness which adds to the movies allure, it does not have the usual Hollywood happy ending which is always a bonus and gives the viewer a deft little twist at the end which I always like to see. It is not going to win any oscars but it does prove that Berenger is still a force to be reckoned with and it gets a solid 6.5/10 from me as I thoroughly enjoyed it and so should you if you stick with it to the end.

The snynopis says he is a Vet. What a veterinarian? Maybe he is getting old but his soldier skills were lacking. Throwing away an empty magazine? WTF. I am a Vet with 41 years service and I would never do some of the poor soldiering skills displayed. Knowing that the bad guys are hunting you and you attempt to build a fire? One good point, they used HD for the film.

Good god, Someone owes me 90+ minutes of my life back!

The writer fell asleep while writing this and they left a bunch of blank pages in it, because nothing happened for over 50% of the film. The problem with most Hollywood films is there is no character development or it is rushed. Here, it takes too long. Another thing that always bothers me is actors that are supposed to be cool and not look suspicious ALWAYS force themselves to look and act suspicious. We've just seen this story a million times before. Older guy with a past and estranged relationship with his family get caught up in something bad by accident and now has to fight for his life. Usually he suffers from some illness, like Bill Munny in Unforgiven. Then just when he is about to get caught the dissolve into a night shot? They need a good editor to cut this down 20 min. I was looking forward to a good Rambo/Cliffhanger type of movie and I got "Winter's Bone" another bore-fest, and an old man who could hardly walk, was pathetically weak, and on the verge of dying. Not the kind of action hero I wanted to see. It was just so annoying to watch Tom hardly being able to move around. I just wanted it to end... Skip it!