BLOOD OUT (dvd review)

Synopsis

Sometimes the law is personal. Packed with full-throttle action and vengeance, Lionsgate debuts Blood Out on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital Download and On Demand this April. The good cop/bad cop action-drama features an all-star cast including Val Kilmer (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Get Rich or Die Tryin’), Vinnie Jones (X-Men: The Last Stand), Luke Goss (Hellboy II: The Golden Army) and AnnaLynne McCord (TV’s “90210”). The DVD and Blu-ray Disc, available in limited edition collectable packaging, also includes a behind the scenes featurette and cast interviews as well as music from BlesteNation and La Coka Nostra.

In the vein of Training Day and Street Kings, Blood Out stars Luke Goss as Michael Spencer, a small town cop who loses his brother in a gang-related murder. City police quickly abandon the case, so Michael takes matters into his own hands and goes undercover to avenge his brother’s death.

Review
To say that this film is terrible would be an insult to other terrible things.

First off, the synopsis above is so inaccurate, it gets the main character’s name wrong.  Goss plays Michael Savion.  Not that it matters.  The DVD art is reminiscent of the problem of direct-to-dvd films.  50 Cent?  Val Kilmer?  Vinnie Jones?  The three marquee names are in the film for several moments each and their performances indicate an awful lot of improvisation on the spot.

Second, the film makes little sense.  After Goss’ brother is murdered he goes to the detectives investigating the case (in uniform mind you) and is promptly assaulted and handcuffed to a sink (The head detective of G-Unit is Mr. Cent, who likely won’t be recognized during Oscar time).  Upon his release, Goss decides to go undercover and in a matter of hours has his entire torso and arms tattooed.  AnnaLynn McCord plays a slutty Federal Agent that’s deep undercover (a hell of an accomplishment in her early twenties).

A puffy Kilmer is dipping his toe in Charlie Sheen territory, delivering what appears to be a performance under the influence of several prescriptions.  Goss is less believable as a street-wise gangsta than he is as a warning for male anorexia.  The entire film is cliché, dull and just plain awful.

And the film ends with a gladiator fight.

Of course it does.