Blood Ties

A crime drama about two brothers, set in New York in the 1970s. Chris is released after a long prison sentence. His brother Frank is a policeman. The relationship is tense from the start: Frank takes him in, finds him work and tries to keep him out of crime. But Chris goes back to his old circle. What interests the film is not crime but how much a family tie can bear. To protect his brother, Frank concedes more and more and crosses the line with his profession. The narrative takes period detail seriously: the cars, the clothes, the neighbourhoods and the colour of 1970s New York. It is a remake. Guillaume Canet carried a film previously made in France to America; the original was directed by Jacques Maillot. James Gray also contributed to the screenplay. Clive Owen plays Chris and Billy Crudup plays Frank. Marion Cotillard and Mila Kunis are also in the cast. A solid example for anyone who likes crime drama and films about 1970s New York. For a viewer looking for originality, the narrative follows the genre's known road and the running time, past two hours, drags in places.