Where to watch In the Blood
2 1/2 Stars
When Ava meets Derek Grant, they fall in love and marry, under the protest of his wealthy father Robert Grant who believes Ava is a gold digger. Ava had a tough relationship with her abusive father Casey who trained her in martial arts and other fights. Ava and Derek travel to Caribe for their honeymoon and soon they meet the local Manny that invites them to go to a fashion night club. The powerful gangster Big Biz hits on Ava and Derek and she fights with his minions. On the next morning, Manny takes them to a Tyrolean crossing but out of the blue, Derek has a problem with his gear and falls off the zip line in a valley, breaking his leg. Ava finds him and an ambulance takes Derek to a local clinic. Ava follows the ambulance in Manny’s motorcycle but crashes and loses sight of the ambulance. When she goes to the clinic, she does not find Derek. She goes to the police station and Chief Ramón Garza promises to help her. But soon Ava discovers that there is a conspiracy and decides to look alone for her beloved husband.
I love Gina Carano. Not only is she a credible fighter and good-looking, but she also has an unbelievable amount of charisma on screen. She has a warm and likable quality reminiscent of Sandra Bullock; only Carano is far more muscular and agile. In the Blood is a step back from the art-house action flick Haywire, but that’s not to say this movie doesn’t have its moments. Carano is believable in the action scenes and does a good enough job with the acting to sell the material.
In the Blood was lensed on the enchanted island, Puerto Rico, and the natural environments provide free production design. John Stockwell has made two classics, Into the Blue and Turistas, and at least one dud, Under Cover, and I generally like his films. With In the Blood, I felt the story was too similar to Turistas; only this movie has more hand-to-hand violence. Good fight scenes and a nicely staged car chase near the film’s end make In the Blood a moderate recommendation. Oh, and it’s got Gina Carano.
Directed by: John Stockwell
Written by: James Robert Johnston, Bennett Yellin
Starring: Gina Carano, Cam Gigandet, Ismael Cruz Cordova