Blood Money (2017)

Directed by: Lucky McKee | 100 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Ellar Coltrane, Willa Fitzgerald, Jacob Artist, John Cusack, Ned Bellamy, Antonio J Bell, Johanna McGinley

The downright unoriginal title isn’t promising, but the man behind this film is! Lucky McKee is known as a heavily underrated horror director. For example, this man made brilliant films such as ‘May’ and ‘The Woman’. In these productions he showed that he was more interested in character development than in liters of blood. In terms of violence, the films were not childish, but it was clear that McKee wanted to tell something. ‘Blood Money’ is different because this is an action movie. A genre with which this director has no experience. It is therefore notable…

In ‘Blood Money’, a businessman loses a large sum of embezzled money in the wilderness. Three students find the money during a canoe trip. Their friendship is put to the test when they are tempted to keep the money. Meanwhile, the owner of the money does everything in his power to get it back. He does not shy away from violence and bullets.

Movies set in a forest in which a hunter chases people are almost a genre in their own right. you can choose to make a big action movie in the style of ‘Surviving The Game’ (with Ice-T) or to watch a spine-chilling thriller like the Spanish ‘King Of The Hill’. McKee chooses to fire a dull, flat and bloodless gang at you. ‘Blood Money’ is characterized by plot holes, illogical twists, flat characters and a wooden John Cusack.

In the eighties Cusack was considered a great actor, but in the last decade he has fallen into a downward spiral (sound familiar, Robert De Niro?) and his performance is downright mediocre. As a bandana-wearing killer, he’s another mockery. You must forget this movie very quickly! Hopefully McKee finds his mojo soon, because this slip is hurting. Waste of time, money and reputation.