Blood Relatives (1981)

Wow! Such a good movie.

As Good As It Gets

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Blistering performances.

"Blood Relatives" begins as a police procedural, with interrogations, red herrings, police line-ups, etc., but gradually transforms into a psychological family drama, with long flashbacks that take up nearly the entire second half; the ultimate solution of the murder is guessable for fans of the genre, but it remains chilling to see unfold on the screen. Aude Landry (why did she have to quit acting so early? She shows huge potential here) and Lisa Langlois give very accomplished performances for their age, and Donald Sutherland is effectively introspective as the inspector who, much like Hercule Poirot, tries to understand the psychology of the crime in order to get to the truth. There are two strangely "off" turns by the usually dependable Donald Pleasence and Stephane Audran, but thankfully their parts are minor and don't really affect the quality of the film, which I consider one of Claude Chabrol's best and most underrated. *** out of 4.

This is an unusual foray in the English language for Chabrol (albeit set in Canada, where French is extensively spoken) but a most typical mystery for him (based on a novel by popular American pulp writer Ed McBain) and, in retrospect, an underrated (if unassuming) work.The director also managed to rope in a good cast, led by Donald Sutherland (a genuine Canadian, playing a character not too far removed from his star-making turn in KLUTE [1971]), as well as David Hemmings and Donald Pleasence (quietly impressive in the role of a paedophile) to act as red herrings. However, the best performances come from the two young female protagonists (who were ostensibly assaulted one night at the film's very start) and especially the sole survivor, whose version of events keeps changing throughout the film, as Sutherland – and the audience – gradually begins to put the pieces together with every new disclosed fact. On the other hand, Chabrol's own wife – Stephane Audran – is saddled with a thankless mother role.Though the ultimate revelation is hardly overwhelmingly original, the incestuous connotations are provocative enough to make the journey there a fairly powerful one. The copy I acquired (which seems to be slightly trimmed – running 91 minutes against the official 100) was full-frame and excessively soft, but certainly serviceable for such a rare item. Interestingly, the French edition of this title contains an alternate score by Chabrol regular Pierre Jansen to the one provided here by Howard Blake.

A relatively interesting little mystery murder, the film is okay viewing despite some sections being dull and not lively. It is, however, surprisingly acted mundanely despite some great names in the cast, but the film does have enough going for it as it is. The music score used in the English version (the dubbed French version has a completely different soundtrack) is great, bouncy in bits and almost always adding to the action. Chabrol also sets up some great shots, and there are a few chilling moments to be had along the way. It is overall nothing too special of its type, but of its type, it is certainly a solid entry.

I just watched this movie and was pleasantly surprised by the twist ending. I can normally sense those sort of surprises in film but this one I really did not foresee. It really was a good story, it was interesting but the beginning was a bit slow. I loved how Muriel was able to tell us her story through the use of the diary. Patricia was definitely screwed up, if she had been in love with her brother the whole time I am sure she would have been paying more attention to what he was doing and where he was going all the time. There would have been major jealousy issues for a while, but I think the two were only seeing each other for a month or so actually. Good movie, I thought about changing the station once or twice but I'm glad I waited it out.