IN THE BLOOD (2014)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: John Stockwell
Cast: Gina Carano,Cam Gigandet, Danny Trejo, Luis Guzmán, Stephen Lang, Treat Williams
RunTime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/IntheBlood

Opening Day: 5 June 2014

Synopsis: MMA star Gina Carano (Haywire, Fast and Furious 6) stars as Ava, a trained fighter with a dark past in this intense action/thriller from director John Stockwell (Blue Crush, Crazy/Beautiful). When her new husband (Cam Gigandet, Twilight) vanishes during their Caribbean honeymoon, Ava uncovers a violent underworld of conspiracy in the middle of an island paradise. Armed with a deadly set of skills, Ava sets out to discover the truth – and to take down the men she thinks are responsible for her husband’s abduction, one by one.

Movie Review: 

On their Caribbean honeymoon, Ava (MMA fighter turned movie star Gina Carano) finds that her husband Derek (Cam Gigandet from Never Back Down) who came from a rich background is mysteriously missing after he is injured in a ziplining accident. The ambulance carrying him never reaches the hospital and the local police (played by Luis Guzman) instead of investigating the crime believe Ava is actually responsible in staging Derek’s disappearance so as to collect his insurance payout.

Obviously one, we know this is not the case. Two, Gina Carano is ready to kick balls and by balls, we mean many of them. Thus Ava went on a Taken-style rampage on the island, rounding up suspicious characters and beating the crap out of them, sometimes applying a little torturing. Carano is more than believable in serving huge amount of butt-kicking moves, it’s a pity however there isn’t any significant set pieces to justify her presence.

The motive of the kidnapping when revealed is hardly compelling and the flimsy backstory of Ava which concerned her deceased outlaw father (Avatar’s Stephen Lang) dispensing advice and combat moves to her is pure rubbish. Amaury Nolasco (Transformers, A Good Day to Die Hard) plays the main villain Silvio, a role which requires him to be pretty busy in the movie’s unnecessary prolonged finale. One of VOD favorite stars Danny Trejo (Machete) also pops by for a role as an ambiguous crime lord, Big Biz.

To their credit, the scriptwriters and director John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Turistas) makes good use of their leading star and the $20 budget to shoot a relatively serviceable action pic, which at times looks pretty awkward on the big screen I must add. The editing looks coarse, bad lighting surfaces and a number of the shots seem to be captured on someone’s smartphone.

It’s alarming to see Carano’s career diverging into the straight-to-DVDs territory that quickly despite her much applauded debut in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire and a stint opposite Dwayne Johnson in Fast & Furious 6. The lady sure deserved better than this cheap VOD release and we really wanted her to be the next female Stallone or Schwarzenegger. 

Movie Rating:

(Carano kicks ass but the movie sure isn’t)

Review by Linus Tee