Not that anyone reads this blog, but I had to take a bit of a hiatus due to exams and holiday break. I was hoping to come back with a great movie to talk about, but unfortunately, that didn't work out. I was pretty excited for Blood Brothers, the description sounded interesting, and I have a fascination for 30's era gangster films. This one takes place in Shanghai, which held all sort of promise, but unfortunately, the film fell a little flat.
The story centers around three brothers who leave their simple country lives behind and travel to Shanghai in search of brighter and more exciting futures. One thing leads to another and they find themselves embroiled in the gangster underworld of 1930's Shanghai. One of the brothers becomes a vicious killer, while the others are conflicted by their new-found careers. A femme fatale enters the scene, and betrayals are made, but the whole thing tends to drag a bit. I found myself wondering when it was going to end, halfway through, with very little action occurring.
The cinematography is lushly gorgeous, from the costumes to the set designs, everything about this movie is beautiful. It's the story that gets a little too convoluted and characters that aren't developed enough to be truly cared about. There are a few great performances, namely by Daniel Wu and Liu Ye, but some of the character's motivations for their actions were made unbelievable by their total abruptness, namely brother Kang's change from mildly rebellious older brother to cold-blooded killer of friend and foe in the blink of an eye. And a couple things needed more development, such as the character of Boss Hong, and a love triangle that fizzles out. Another problem is that the most exciting scene is at the very end of the film, a superbly choreographed gunfight where foes are vanquished and blood is shed. I just wish I didn't have to wait an hour and a half for an awesome gunfight in a gangster film.
All in all, Blood Brothers is pretty and mildly entertaining. 1930's era Shanghai is lushly represented, and I hope to see more films that take advantage of this interesting environment, Blood Brothers is just a taste of what is possible.