Blood and Wine – Review

Blood and Wine

with Jack Nicholson, Judy Davis, Stephen Dorff
Written by Nick Villiers and Alison Cross
Directed by Bob Rafelson
by Clotilde Ferry

Looking for good action and entertainment? Blood and Wine will personally deliver it to you on a silver tray! And no, it’s not another film about vampires, although it could have been since Nicholson has acted as the devil in The Witches of Eastwick and as a wolf in the film of the same name, but Blood and Wine is different. This film is pure action with good dialogue and no stakes through the heart.

The story is simple but full of life’s unexpected surprises. Gate (Jack Nicholson) is in charge of the wine store his wife owns and whose son works for him. Gate has troubles keeping the store going financially, so he plots to steal a diamond necklace from one of his wealthy customers at whose house his young mistress (Jennifer Lopez) works as a nanny. With the necklace in hand, not only can Gate make a lot of money reselling it, he can also leave his wife (Judy Davis) and never have to deal with his stepson Jason (Stephen Dorff) again. The diamond necklace looks like the perfect escape from his troubles, although one still has to find the exit door to be safe.

The screenplay is especially good when the time comes for Alex Gate (Nicholson) to talk. His lines are full of dark humor, since he represents the snake and the charmer all at once, and it’s he that holds his little entourage and the rest of the movie in the palm of his hand. This is not to say that the other actors are bad. On the contrary, they are still young and their acting skills need to grow. But then, you can only grow with Nicholson as your acting partner.

The film is filled with action although everything gets a little hectic and messy at times. But if car crashes, bloody fights, and a few mild cases of death turn you on, Blood and Wine is your cup of tea and its ambiance is as humid as Florida ever gets. And Alex’s smiling countenance remains the same through it all. Well, actually, almost the same. How much do you smile when you’ve gone that far to keep up with your finances, your marriage and your mistress? When everyone stops being polite, it leaves the sweet and sour taste of Blood and Wine lingering in your mouth.