Blood Money (2017) 1080p REMUX

Three friends on a wilderness excursion must outrun a white collar criminal hellbent on retrieving his cash, but soon their greed turns them against each other.

Storyline
Three friends on a wilderness excursion must outrun a white collar criminal hellbent on retrieving his cash, but soon their greed turns them against each other. A modern re-telling of TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.
Download: Blood Money (2017) 1080p REMUX

User Reviews
In the mid-80s John Cusak was making it big. By his fourth listed film on imdb he was in a lead role and on his way to stardom. Ten years later he was at the top with some of the biggest hits of his career. Then after the new millennia began his career dropped. The movies he was making were still good and his acting abilities were still great. But the movies he was making weren't doing well.

For some reason of late Cusak has taken on roles in movies far beneath his abilities. Most have gone straight to DVD. But in each he never stops offering a solid performance in whatever role he's given. This has happened with several stars and I've never understood why. I'm left believing that a lot of it has to do with ageism, a prejudice against stars who are no longer their young selves. Rather than, as in the past, allow stars to age gracefully and continue making movies with roles for them to be featured in, Hollywood seems intent on featuring nothing but young new actors.

Had that been the case in the past imagine all that we would have lost. No Bogart in THE AFRICAN QUEEN. No Cary Grant in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. So many great performances would have not existed. Rather than a middle aged James Bond we'd have had the latest teen heartthrob in the role. The thing is this. When you see John Cusak's name on the cover of a DVD the odds are these days it won't be as good a film as he's done in the past. But his performance will be.

Which brings us to BLOOD MONEY. The movie is actually better than you would think. Three college age friends set out for a river trip, reuniting after time spent away at school. Victor (Ellar Coltrane) has remained behind in their hometown working minimum wage jobs. Jeff (Jacob Artist) comes from a wealthy family and is doing well. And Lynn (Willa Fitzgerald) is still running, her athletic scholarship keeping her in college. Having had a leg injury she's still not on top but she's mending and working out.

With memories of their past in hand they three best friends head to the forest and river to spend the weekend, reliving their shared time together. Victor still pines for Lynn, the girl he knew growing up with and who he fell in love for. But unbeknownst to Victor, Jeff and Lynn have become an item, something he will learn along the way.

At the same time their journey begins we witness someone parachute from a small plane, dropping a package at the same time. The plane, unattended, crashes and the individual and package are separated, the package falling into the river. This is Miller (Cusak), a man trying to leave the world behind whose path will cross with the three friends.

It is Lynn who discovers the package dropped by Miller, bags containing $80 million dollars. Victor believes they should contact the police. Jeff is willing to go along with whatever Lynn says. But it is Lynn who becomes the most changed person when presented with the opportunity for all of this money. Her greed takes control and like the figure of Gollum from the RINGS trilogy she covets the money more than anything in the world. The contest for who gets the money, whether Miller is able to get his money back and what each is willing to do for what they want forms the basis for this movie.

The film isn't just about greed though that plays a major role in the proceedings. As much on that topic it's also about desperation. Each of the characters has some form of that moving them forward. For Victor it is his hope of reuniting with Lynn, something that happened before she left for college. For Jeff it is winning the affections of Lynn for himself. For Miller it is the chance to take his ill-gotten gains and remove himself from society. But it is Lynn who is revealed to be the most desperate of the four characters. It is Lynn who is changed by the money more than any other. Just how far and if she is willing to lose herself completely to it, moves this movie to its conclusion.

Cusak, the heavy this time, does a solid job here while not really being the central character. His part here feels more like a role he took on to pay back someone of to get a paycheck. That doesn't mean he doesn't perform well, just that this is not like past leading roles he would have taken on. Both Artist and Coltrane do a good job here as well, making their characters believable. But it is Fitzgerald who shines here. With each passing moment this young woman who would normally play out as a victim in most films becomes more frightening than that of what we assume to be a criminal and killer. That she accomplishes this slowly displaying pieces of her character one at a time is a credit to her skills.

The movie is definitely not a major blockbuster styled film but it does offer a nice showcase for all involved. It's also not a bad movie on the whole and will entertain from start to finish. So if you're looking for something to rent this week then this one might not be a bad choice.