Bloodline (2004)

What a waste of my time!!!

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Overrated and overhyped

Expected more

I just finished watching "Bloodline", and have to admit, I really enjoyed this movie. This was a movie I came across in my local video rental store while trying to find a horror movie a little more outside the mainstream."Bloodline" is a story about Travis and his autistic brother, Henry, who take a camping trip with friends, only to have the trip end in a bloody massacre. While the twist of events that lead to this massacre are interestingly not disclosed until the end of the movie, the result is Henry running off to hide in the woods while Travis returns home with two other survivors, unaware of Henry's fate. As the movie unfolds, we follow both Travis and Henry as their lives move on beyond the tragic event, slowly learning new facts about what really led to the murders...and what really took place that night.Despite the low-budget of this movie, it is very well done, and has very professional look to it without the 'too glossy' Hollywood look. The charm is that it has an independent feel to it without coming across in any way cheap. It was clearly made by people who were fans of horror that really cared about what they were doing. The story was interesting and the acting, for the most part, was quite competent. I really enjoyed how expressive Henry (played by Bryan Smithson) was, despite the character's inability to speak. More interesting still, was the attention paid to the details. Specifically, I found the drawings and sketches that Henry had drawn to be very eye-catching and well-done. I paused the DVD a few times to get a better look at some of these drawings. While this movie may not be for everyone, it is certainly for viewers looking for a great independent horror film that doesn't have a straight-to-DVD look and feel. Don't let the DVD cover fool you (I found it a bit cheesy to be honest), this is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something that doesn't stick to the typical horror 'formula'.

A film so bad that halfway through I found myself wondering if the production company could have gotten away with paying the actors who portrayed Henry less for a non-speaking role (the character is mute) rather than following the story.Perhaps you think it will be different for you, maybe you're too cool for the room and able to appreciate the finer aspects of the struggling low budget film that still respects the art man. Well let me ruin it for you. Henry kills a kid and brother Travis kills some other kids, then they don't but then Travis does and Henry doesn't then I turned it off and thought how I could have better spent my time.

The best way I can sum this up is ... I felt similar to how I felt after seeing "The Unforgiven". I went in expecting a "shoot em' up" western with some fun dialogue from Clint and I got something completely different. I walked out a little disappointed until I later realized that I got something better than what I expected. Although I'm not putting a straight to video horror flick on the same tier as that movie, the feeling was similar. What I got from "Bloodline" was a little more story, a little more acting, a little more production value and a little less blood and a few less tits than I was expecting. I was a bit disappointed at first, until I put my expectations aside and got into the story (kudos to the guy that played "Travis" and the guy that played "Al" for that/can't remember their real names). There's a interesting twist in the end as well. I don't think that's a spoiler. I can't say I was "riveted to the screen", but all in all, if you aren't too disappointed by the lack of standard "slasher" elements and just want to see a decent story told with pretty good acting for the most part and better than normal production value for these kinds of movies, rent it. You won't be disappointed.

I like horror films, and have seen my share of both good and bad. I admit I wasn't expecting too much when I picked up this Lions Gate title (I'd been burned before by some of their low-budget releases), but I try to see every horror film and I have to say this was much better than I expected. It looks good for a low budget movie -- it actually looks like it was shot on film? Hi-def maybe? I dunno -- but the story was different and not just a slasher flick. The acting was pretty good with Clay Adams giving a strong lead performance as Travis. It also had that girl from the show Hawaii -- Aya Sumika (pretty hot, wish she was in it more). Anyway, the time fractures made it seem a little like Memento mixed with Friday the 13th or something.Looked like there were some budget constraints, but it held my interest and kept me guessing up to the end. It'd be cool to see if these guys do another one sometime with more money or bigger actors. Overall, a good effort and worth seeing.