On the surface, it appears to be `just another one of those...,' yet with an open mind and an appreciation of mystery and crime stories (and especially a comprehensive knowledge of semiotics and film theory in general), Blood Money proves to be an intellectual treat.
Unfortunately, a lot of people could not appreciate the subtlety with which Blood Money turns film noir and the classic `crime story' conventions around, while at the same time commenting smugly upon the expectations of the cable-subscriber audience. Shepphird's film is all about inexorability, free will and ultimately, redemption, all cloaked in the guise of a quiet little made-for-tv movie. A post-post-modern `The Killing' with a Corman twist and a cast of zany characters (including ex-porn star Traci Lords, making her non-porn debut here, in a seeming homage to Mati Hari), Blood Money slaps you, then asks you if you like it. It catches you in the nude, and then just just when you think you've got it figured out, it reaches down and pulls out - something you didn't expect.
Unfortunately, a lot of people could not appreciate the subtlety with which Blood Money turns film noir and the classic `crime story' conventions around, while at the same time commenting smugly upon the expectations of the cable-subscriber audience. Shepphird's film is all about inexorability, free will and ultimately, redemption, all cloaked in the guise of a quiet little made-for-tv movie. A post-post-modern `The Killing' with a Corman twist and a cast of zany characters (including ex-porn star Traci Lords, making her non-porn debut here, in a seeming homage to Mati Hari), Blood Money slaps you, then asks you if you like it. It catches you in the nude, and then just just when you think you've got it figured out, it reaches down and pulls out - something you didn't expect.