Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

In the Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Take(n) a little trip.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 4, 2014

Survivors have scars. Losers have funerals.

Director John Stockwell's (Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden) In the Blood is best described as the Liam Neeson kidnapping Thriller Taken meets the hit video game Far Cry 3, a first-person shooter in which a young man is forced to battle his way through a tropical paradise. At In the Blood's core, though, is a straight-up Action flick with the obligatory windy road towards the not-so-twisty resolution. The twists help maintain an energy, even when the film gets bogged down in its beat-'em-up routine. The mystery is but a vehicle to allow MMA star Gina Carano (Haywire) the opportunity to strut her stuff and clean the island out of bad guys with some well-placed punches, kicks, gunshots, and a little bit of torture. The film satisfies genre requirements and does so not so much with flair, but with a commanding presence from its star and no-nonsense rhythm from its director.

It's in the blood.

Newlyweds Ava (Carano) and Derek (Cam Gigandet) travel to a beautiful Caribbean island for their dream honeymoon. At dinner, they run into a local named Manny (Ismael Cruz Cordova) who prompts them to accompany him to a club where the happy couple runs afoul of trouble, resulting in a brutal fistfight in which Ava demonstrates a rare toughness and fighting ability instilled into her by her tough, late father. The following day, Manny insists they join him on a zip-line expedition. Things go wrong with Derek's rig; he plummets out of the sky and lands far below, unconscious and with a broken leg. Ava's not allowed to ride in the ambulance with him. When she arrives at the hospital, she's told there's no record of his admittance. She begins a frantic search for her husband, leaving a trail of blood in her wake across the island, placing her in the crosshairs of a local law enforcement officer named Ramón Garza (Luis Guzmán).

In the Blood won't be remembered as a classic of its genre, but it's a rock-solid entrant that works on every level while both entertaining the senses and lightly engaging the brain. The action is fluid and rather raw thanks to a believable lead character whose toughness is matched by her tenderness, the classic "don't get on her bad side" sort who's capable of taking out the trash one minute and sweet-talking the next. Gina Carano plays well in the part, perhaps not finding the sort of seamless, consistent acting a part of more dramatic value and emotional weight would require, but she's well more than capable of carrying her character through thick and thin, the good times and the bad, the love and the blood alike. She plays well alongside co-star Cam Gigandet, the latter relegated to second-tier status, obviously, once he disappears from the film. Nevertheless, he and Carano carry the first act well, making for a believable, likable couple that sets the tone for her no-holding-back pursuit of him and those who have wronged him for the remainder.

For all it does well, In the Blood suffers from a repetitiveness and overextension in its second act. Here, the film follows a simple formula that sees Ava go about the business of the search by moving from one suspect to the next, following the proverbial breadcrumbs that frequently land her in handcuffs and provide just as many questions as answers. Some editing, a slight reworking of the script, and a little more variety would have turned the muddled middle stretch into a more palatable affair, bridging the gap between the well-constructed establishing open and the more varied and action-packed third. As it stands, however, the film works well enough in the greater Action genre, not standing apart but standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the better genre standard-bearers of the past few decades.

In the Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In the Blood's 1080p transfer looks a bit hot, but that's almost to be expected of a hard Action film set in the Caribbean. Anchor Bay's presentation nevertheless reveals a good, balanced level of detail and vibrant coloring throughout. The transfer proves more than capable of capturing a wide variety of textures, from dense jungle to run-down urban areas, from a darkened nightclub to a well-lit operating room. Facial and clothing textures are nicely revealing and consistently so. A number of shots, particularly early on, are sourced from "consumer" camera equipment, such as cell phones, digital cameras, and the now-ubiquitous "GoPro" style camera, all of which, of course, lack the precision and professionalism of the other photography but nevertheless carry their scenes well enough within the picture's flow and context. As noted, colors are quite hot, with sharp jungle greens and red blood standing apart. More balanced shades, such as an orange stripe on ambulance or blue surgical attire, are handled as well as can expected. Flesh tones, however, never push too far away from natural, but black levels do show some paleness and heavy noise in select shots. Overall, however, this is a good, dependable transfer from Anchor Bay.

In the Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In the Blood arrives on Blu-ray with an Action movie-standard Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is aggressive and immersive in all areas. Music is smooth, clear, and evenly spaced across the front and through the back. Dance club beats are particularly impressive, coming across as slightly muddled (adding location realism to the experience) and sending a deep, potent energy through the listening area. Support sound effects are consistently engaging and do well to place the listener in the Caribbean location, whether the listener be hearing wildlife or chanting crowds. Gunfire erupts with a fairly continuous presence in the third act. Shots ring out powerfully and fill the room with their brand of sonic aggression. Dialogue delivery is smooth and stable from the center. Overall, this is a well-rounded and engaging sound presentation from Anchor Bay.

In the Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In the Blood's only disc-based supplement is 'In the Blood:' Behind the Scenes (1080i, 19:20). Cast and crew speak on the film's physicality, project origins, themes behind the action, casting and performances, character motivations, and more. the piece also features a good deal of behind-the-scenes footage. Also included in the case are DVD and UV digital copies.

In the Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the Blood should more than satisfy the Action lover's craving for something new, though not necessarily something different. The film works best in its bookends, dampened, but not ruined, by a monotonous middle stretch. Nevertheless, star Gina Carano acquits herself nicely in the lead role, carrying the action with ease and never coming close to embarrassing herself in the film's dramatic moments. She shows potential as a dependable, film-carrying, go-to Action hero star. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of In the Blood is disappointingly absent much in the way of supplemental content, but video and audio presentations do satisfy. Recommended to genre fans.