Review of Blood Money

Introduction

Carlton`s Silver Collection is a mixed bag of movies at the best of times. There are some classics, and some turkeys. There are movies from the old Rank Organisation catalogue, but the backbone of the collection is the ITC catalogue. ITC was Lew Grade`s empire in the 1960`s and 1970`s, responsible for most of the truly great tv shows of that era - The Saint, Thunderbirds, Randall and Hopkirk, and The Prisoner. In the 1980`s, the company started moving into feature films, some good (unfortunately many of them bad - most memorably "Raise The Titanic" which almost sank ITC with its enormous budget).

Blood Money, made in 1988, is a small-budget thriller starring Andy Garcia and Ellen Barkin. The plot, involving the Mob, Latin American contras and crooked lawyers is a satisfying tale of revenge and retribution, but the cover notes for the movie neglect to mention there`s a distinct romantic element to the story that saves it from being another thick-ear story. The scale of the adventure is reflected in the distinctly made-for-television feel of the lighting and cinematography. Andy Garcia is a serviceable anti-hero who displays a McGyver-style resourcefulness getting out of trouble. Ellen Barkin unfortunately lacks the spark that could have made this a much more richly romantic story in other hands.

Video

Presented in anamorphic 16:9, the film is in an excellent state of repair. There is little in the way of telecine or compression artefacting, and colour and contrast are pleasingly sharp without causing any problems.

Audio

The sound is in the original basic stereo 2.0 mix, with nothing special to report.

Features

There are English HOH subtitles provided, but otherwise there are no extras.

Conclusion

While I can`t imagine anybody waiting for this title with baited breath, it is a perfectly acceptable modern-day thriller and is a reasonable way to spend 91 minutes on a cold evening in winter.