Blood Star (2024)
Directed by: Lawrence Jacomelli
Written by: George Kelly, Lawrence Jacomelli, Victoria Hinks Taylor
Starring: Britni Camacho, John Schwab, Sydney Brumfield
Now Available to Stream on Demand
It’s time for a bit of cat and mouse as a vulnerable driver finds themselves on a lonely road with only a vicious stalker for company. The title may be reminiscent of a certain neo-noir mystery but the contents are mostly chase movie and slasher tropes that are very familiar. You know the drill; barren highways, peculiar locals, unhelpful gas station attendants. But it’s also a tale of abusive authority figures in the guise of domestic villains and those wearing badges. Does the feature as a whole use these themes with enough tact to make the story stand out from others in this vein? Well let’s just say it’s a pretty bumpy ride.
In a dark and dusty landscape an injured woman is pursued by a set of blinding headlights before meeting a grisly end. But there are some odd details to the scene in which she’s given a bottle of water and a loaded gun before the murder. Of course there is no real mystery; the name of the film gives away a cop is involved. However, just as a cold opening it’s at least well shot and brisk, something that is only half true for the rest of the running time. As things go on it’s clear that there will be a general lack of suspense; a focus on soapy dialogue and melodramatic phone calls rather than showing before telling.
Bobby (Britni Camacho) is taking a road trip through New Mexico after some problems involving her violent father. As she drives and talks on the phone it seems clear that she’s running into the arms of someone very similar. It’s a blunt way of delivering this sort of information since Bobby’s sister and boyfriend are never seen. These kind of family issues are very serious but with so much talk it’s never engaging. In the right hands the material could be a gritty tale of generational trauma and even a taught anti-authority thriller, but thanks to the execution it’s not to be.
The law rears its head in the form of Sheriff Bilstein (John Schwab) who pulls over Bobby to issue a speeding fine, before immediately making up other charges and harassing her. The problem is that these abuses of power and the subsequent games the Sheriff wants to play aren’t developed in a way that escalates the tension or delivers any sort of creeping dread. Instead there are diversions into a gas station and a diner; adding local colour and a handful of side characters but killing the pacing. At one point Bobby even stops for a beer and to smoke a joint which seems at odds her avoiding unwanted attention.
Meanwhile the Sheriff apparently has one straight highway to patrol since he can spot Bobby’s car at any time from a single vantage point. Early on it’s a sinister location, and in general this is a stylish looking feature, but there’s only so many times a close up of his mouth, his food, or his sunglasses, can be effective. As a villain he has some screen presence but offers no surprises along the way, and there are few moments in which that the tables might be turned. Occasionally there are moments that seem it will veer into Duel, The Hitcher or even Texas Chainsaw territory, but these are few and far between.
It all just trundles along even after waitress Amy (Sydney Brumfield) joins the ride. Instead it keeps stalling so more exposition dumps can be delivered. With a little more nuance talk about substance addicted dads and violent religious mothers might feed into an overarching theme, or even fuel a cathartic finale, but it’s mostly just patience testing. Even a gruesome third act is stuffed with lines about bad family histories. Apparently the irony of someone losing a tongue has been lost on the writers. There’s plenty of depth to be mined with these subjects but this isn’t the way to go about it.
Ultimately there are a lot potent ingredients being danced around but the resulting film never capitalises on them. It could be a high octane gauntlet or a slow and gruelling descent into a seedy small town, but instead it’s sat in an awkward and bland middle ground. Which is disappointing as the production values are solid and the cast do a fine job. Opposing the patrolling face of evil Britni Camacho is good at being both defiant and panic-stricken where appropriate. But the surrounding journey never comes together in satisfying way; there are no big shocks and the genre clichés are too flat.
Rating: 
Be the first to comment