The punchline I followed before watching the movie was about its cinematography. I like wandering into the wilderness more than action-gripped violent plots. Fitted the criteria. So, I hit the play button and turned out it was a good investment of my time.
When the musician writes, sets a tune, and sings all on his own, he can connect the right cord with the right expression of his verse. I like to think it that way, anyway. For Blood and Money, the cinematographer himself is the director, so, I believed every shot taken would unite two minds— of the director’s and cinematographer’s. Although I find the framing satisfactory enough, contrasting my belief of one-man-army, having a third eye for different perceptions could make the overall composition more convincing. Nevertheless, I am satisfied, I assure you again.
But, gap remains. Gap between plots, action sequences, and logical senses. I don’t demand movies to be justified by logic, still, it’s something you cannot ignore. John Barr has limitations right here, in this movie particularly.
A man barely capable of putting himself together is continuously defying what he is supposed not to be, pushing himself beyond the limits and succeeding every time?
That’s not very amusing.
Not convinced.
But, Jim is a Vietnam veteran, right? So yeah, he still has some guts despite the ailing condition at this age. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to smoke so often under such severe health conditions. Oh, he has a taste— fond of a particular brand that could be a clue to what he did in the forest; killed a woman. He is aware of that and rushed to the crime scene to retrieve the cigarette butt; quite a clever move yet stone-hearted. He had no remorse for accidentally shooting the woman, rather, he wanted to get away clean. Clean as the milk-white snow. But fate didn’t favour. That’s how we got more dead bodies and nobody knows— again, lack of logical flow. Rifle shooting amidst frosted wilderness must be heard from distances, yet, nobody heard even after seemed to be at a close distance.
Meh, never mind.
Anyway, completing a story with a few characters in such a place is amazing enough. Quite successful in keeping the viewers in awe— what’s going to happen next? Will he be caught by the law eventually or get away with the money somewhere unknown? What’s beyond the snowy forest?
So many questions could give your head a spin. But don’t worry. You’ll find out everything there, well, not all of it but many. And if you are fond of desolate wilderness as calm as a silently screaming Japanese butoh dancer, you will definitely love it.
And I felt sorry for that burnt-down RV :(
Let me know if you watched it already or planning to do so.
Till then, let me indulge in other movies and get myself entertained during the last moments of the weekend.
