
New York, 1974. Fifty-year-old Chris (Clive Owen) has just been released on good behavior after several years in prison following a gangland murder. Reluctantly waiting for him outside the gates is his younger brother, Frank (Billy Crudup), a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, and their father, Leon (James Caan), who raised them alone, seems to favor Chris despite all his troubles. Yet blood ties are the ones that bind, and Frank, hoping tha... (Full plot summary below)
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New York, 1974. Fifty-year-old Chris (Clive Owen) has just been released on good behavior after several years in prison following a gangland murder. Reluctantly waiting for him outside the gates is his younger brother, Frank (Billy Crudup), a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, and their father, Leon (James Caan), who raised them alone, seems to favor Chris despite all his troubles. Yet blood ties are the ones that bind, and Frank, hoping that his brother has changed, is willing to give him a chance - he shares his home, finds him a job, and helps him reconnect with his children and his ex-wife, Monica (Marion Cotillard). But Chris' inevitable descent back into a life of crime proves to be the last in a long line of betrayals, and after his brother's latest transgressions, Frank banishes him from his life. But it's already too late, as the brothers' destiny is bound together, forever.
Leave your thoughts about Blood Ties.
| Village VoiceMichael NordineThough it takes a long while for the many moving parts to click into place, the final minutes redeem not only a few characters but also Blood Ties itself -- not enough to make up for prior transgressions, perhaps, but enough to leave a favorable last impression. |
| Film School RejectsJack GirouxIf you want a good film that covers similar ground, just revisit Gray's We Own the Night instead. |
| OregonianMarc MohanBlood Ties not only convincingly recreates its era, it seems like it could have been made then. |
| NewsdayJohn AndersonIntriguing performances, and a sense of '70s American cinema that seems to have been preserved in a lava lamp. |
| Tolucan TimesTony MedleyCanet fills the screen with wonderful performances by a terrific cast and keeps the pace and tension on a high level compensating for the over 2 hour length, shocking violence, and dark and depressing story. |
| JoBlo's Movie EmporiumChris BumbrayA great, exceedingly well-cast, throwback to seventies cinema. Clive Owen's best part since CHILDREN OF MEN. |
| NerdistWitney SeiboldBlood Ties, a long-reaching crime epic, possesses all the earmarks of a mellowed-out Scorsese, complete with its bracing, grimy aesthetic, slowed down pace, gentle meting of information, and occasional explosions of extreme violence. |
| Film School RejectsShaun MunroThe busload-full of skilled actors Canet has brought with him damn-near ensures a compelling sit, even if the film's ponderous pacing and resulting length do detract somewhat from its finer qualities. |
| Detroit NewsTom LongThe performers carry on - Owen is particularly good - but this bird doesn't fly. |
| Q Network Film DeskJames Kendrickmore of a slow-burn familial drama, although its plot, which revolves around two brothers living on opposite sides of the law, presents plenty of opportunity for gunshots and squealing tires. |