Blood and Money Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Blood and Money Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 9, 2020

Writer/Director John Barr's debut feature Blood and Money finds little in the way of original content, playing like a mash-up between Cliffhanger and No Country for Old Men on a smaller scale, a tighter budget, and less structural and narrative ambition. But it is nevertheless a solid film in its own right, delivering capable story beats, a good lead performance, and a reluctance to throw too many twists and turns onto the screen, opting instead for a refreshingly straightforward story of survival against the odds.

Retired Marine Jim Reed (Tom Berenger) lives alone in Maine's Allagash region where nothing but snow and trees are to be found for thousands of square miles. He lives off the land, hunting deer and calling a custom camper built onto the back of a Dodge pickup truck his home. He's ever so slowly losing the battle with time. He routinely coughs up blood and simply hauling his deer back to his vehicle stresses his body to its limits. One day, he takes a shot and quickly discovers he's shot a young woman by accident. He flees the scene and fears reporting the accidental killing to the authorities. But when he realizes that the woman he killed is one of a pair of wanted robbers who have stolen over a million dollars from a nearby casino, he returns to the scene and finds a bag full of cash. But before he can escape with the money, he finds himself pursued by several men who want the cash and will stop at nothing to take it from him.

Blood and Money is not so much a story of money but rather a story of a man's very essence pulled beyond its limits. Jim Reed finds himself battling not just several well-armed bad guys but also his age and his health as well as the unforgiving elements. His entire existence is a battleground, and that he stumbles into money, and doesn't do the right thing when he shoots the young woman, only exacerbates his problems. The film doesn't do much, thematically, with Jim's story. It's very cut-and-dry, which is in a way a bold choice in an entertainment landscape that seems to want to explain everything away and make everything as busy as possible. The movie plays very well along its slowly developing linear pathway, taking its time to build the character -- his backstory, his present physical and emotional states, his routine, his mental acumen -- before pitting him against man, the elements, and himself.

It's very well done on an obviously low budget. The lean story mechanics certainly help keep the film focused, and the snowy, inhospitably rural Maine settings adds a natural element of danger to the proceedings that something of a more traditionally oriented landscape could not provide. This is a case of minimalism actually maximizing the film's credentials. Additionally, Tom Berenger turns in a rock-solid performance that is deep on emotional undercurrents and which offers enough of a physical challenge to stretch him as both an actor and as a man. The film is essentially a story of redemption; his Jim Reed is a man who has made poor choices in his life but who finds an opportunity for saving grace not just in his dealings with the criminals and his fight for survival but also in his burgeoning friendship with a struggling waitress back in town. His connection to her will ultimately bring him more heartache, in some ways, but also an opportunity to better himself as a person and, as best he can in his place in life and with the choices he has made, make the right decision for once in his life to help, rather than harm, someone in need.

Blood and Money Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blood and Money was digitally photographed and by-and-large looks quite nice on Blu-ray. The picture balances the extreme blinding white snow with bursts of color that break up the intensity, such as tree trunks and branches and other natural elements breaking through, and of course characters and clothes. Jim's bright orange hunting vest and hat serve as the primary bold color elements in the movie, and such offer positive saturation and accuracy. A few examples of blood, fire, and some colors around town, such as inside and outside the diner, hold steady with good, natural contrast. Details are impressively sharp, again with natural details throughout the snowy expanse revealing impressive sharpness and attention to detail. Odds and ends inside Jim's camper are sharp, as are his clothes and facial features. Skin tones appear accurate but black levels fluctuate a bit between perfectly deep and natural and a bit pale and purple, both ends often accompanied by the only real obvious noise in the movie. Beyond that, there are no major source or encode flaws to note.

Blood and Money Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Blood and Money features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. A gunshot to begin the movie offers plenty of depth and kick, and out in the snowy Maine expanse there's plenty of natural reverb that makes its way around the entire soundstage. Additional shots ring out later in the film, again in wide open country and to very good depth and spacial effect. They all hit impressively hard. There are some positive ambient sound elements around town, such as traffic moving around the stage with natural progression and detail in some early scenes and, of course, less invasive but no less critical environmental supports out in the woodlands through the bulk of the runtime. Music swells to impressive power and spread during a key moment in chapter four, which further includes a healthy, balanced surround output and quality low end engagement. Such observations generally hold true for all musical engagements in the movie. Dialogue is always clear, well prioritized, and center positioned. A scene inside Jim's camper at the 10-minute mark plays with an unnatural hollowness but seems to be the only sonic flub in the movie. Overall this is a very well-rounded track from Screen Media.

Blood and Money Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blood and Money includes one supplement. Surviving 'Blood and Money' (1080p, 5:59) features cast and crew recounting the plot, character details, working in rural Maine, Berenger's prep for the part, and more. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Blood and Money Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blood and Money brings little new to the table, but the movie's success stems from its optimization of its limited resources and maximizing return on its minimalist approach. Berenger is very good in the lead role, playing a man broken inside and breaking down on the outside, forced into a physical challenge that tests his soul as hard as it does his body. First time feature director John Barr shows promise, too, and will hopefully land more work in the near future. Screen Media's Blu-ray delivers perfectly good video and audio presentations. Only one extra is included, but the entire package is well worth picking up, particularly at its aggressive price point. Recommended.