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New Blood

Starring: Nick Moran, John Hurt
Director: Michael Hurst
Genre: Thriller
Year: 1999
Rating: 2 / 5

Can thirty minutes of gunfights, doublecrosses, and unexpected twists resurrect a nearly comatose film? Not quite, although this crazed finish to New Blood at least makes the film somewhat memorable. First-time director Michael Hurst puts his audience to sleep through the film's first hour, then attempts to revive his fans with dead bodies and some shocking developments. Hyped as a film made in the likeness of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, New Blood is not as smart nor as enjoyable as its more well-known predecessor. Rather, New Blood is an example of a good cast put to waste and some good ideas never developed.

Alan White (John Hurt) is lying in the middle of an empty room, dying from a gunshot wound to the chest. All around him are piles of money, origin unknown. The police have a lot of questions for Alan, especially since he seems to be the only one who knows anything about eight dead bodies at an abandoned home nearby. All eight bodies are riddled with bullets, with nary a survivor in sight. So begins Alan's tale, as he seeks to recount for the police the events of the previous night. Before he is finished, he has drifted through tales of sex, violence, and buckets of cash, not to mention a local crime lord.

The day prior to his unfortunate gunshot wound, Alan is visited by his son Danny (Nick Moran), also a victim of a gunshot. The odd thing is that Alan has not seen Danny in eight years, ever since he abandoned Danny and his mother. It seems that Danny has a new "family," mainly consisting of his fellow running buddies, the "new blood." After a botched kidnapping attempt, one which left the intended victim dead, Danny needs to find someone else to pose as the victim or he and his crew will be no more. If Alan will pose as the kidnapping victim, knowing he will die at the end of the evening, Danny, slipping away due to his wound, will donate his heart to his ailing sister. Makes sense, right?

The main premise of New Blood is a confusing one, especially when checking out the short blurbs which usually accompany such movies in the video store. Wounded man asks father to pose as kidnapping victim to save lives of man's friends, after which man will give heart (and therefore life) to save dying sister. John Hurt manages to maintain some shred of dignity during this film, even if his character is way too gullible - or, as the film implies, full of guilt. Bit players Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Anne Moss - who must really enjoy working together (The Matrix, Memento) - are practically wasted hear, as their characters are relegated to one or two important scenes each. New Blood tries to be hip and cool, but it proves to be just an weak imitation of the old blood.

Cast:

Certification: Rated R for violence and language.
Running Time: 98 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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