The ingredients for an effective neo-noir are abundant at the outset of Lucky McKee’s “Blood Money.” The film centers on a trio of childhood friends – Victor (Ellar Coltrane), Jeff (Jacob Artist), and Lynn (Willa Fitzgerald) – who reunite for a weekend camping trip in the woods, but the vibes are off from the start. It quickly comes out that Victor and Lynn are clumsily concealing a romantic entanglement, which is an unwelcome development for Jeff, who still has feelings for Lynn. This tension is ramped up tenfold when Lynn and Victor discover three bags full of $100 bills. There’s an easy way out here, but no one is thinking clearly. Further complicating matters is a fidgety drifter named Miller (John Cusack), who happens to be the rightful-wrongful owner of the cash.
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“Blood Money” is a jaggedly written thriller that feels like it needed another pass or three from writers Jared Butler and Lars Norberg. McKee does his darndest to keep the story flowing, but the film winds up working best as a series of dar,k dramatic moments. Unsurprisingly, the most effective scenes all involve Fitzgerald’s Lynn, a hard-charging athlete who seems far too smart and capable to be tethered to these two jealous buffoons. Lynn’s character arc isn’t clearly drawn, but Fitzgerld gets a few scenes where she browbeats the boys and asserts her intellectual superiority. This could’ve been a femme fatale’s bloody journey to independence, but McKee is after something more ambiguous. Lynn is denied the ending she deserves, but Fitzgerald still wins out with a ferocious performance. (Jeremy Smith)
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