Blood and Wine Review
by Chris Webb (cjwebb AT unix DOT amherst DOT edu)August 3rd, 1997
BLOOD AND WINE (1997)
a review by chris webb
copyright 1997
CAST: Jack Nicholson (Alex Gates), Stephen Dorff (Jason Gates), Jennifer Lopez (Gabriella), Judy Davis (Suzanne Gates),
Michael Caine (Victor), Harold Parrineau Jr. (Henry).
Directed by Bob Rafelson.
Rage. Integrity. Intensity. Passion. Disillusionment. Pain. Charm. Jack Nicholson can incorporate all these contradictions into whatever role he plays. Such is the case in Blood and Wine, his latest collaboration with director Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces, King of Marvin Gardens). Over the past few years, we have seen him in the two-dimensional role, no matter how compelling, in A Few Good Men, as a cartoon in Batman, and as a compassionate and angered man in The Crossing Guard. But nothing can exercise Nicholson's talents as good as when he displays absolute paranoia and irrational psychosis as we've seen in Five Easy Pieces and Carnal Knowledge, which was a subtle, but calculated performance of mental deterioration.
To watch Nicholson in a frenzy, the gritted teeth, the extended facial expressions is to face the devil. Much as is seen in Blood and Wine. We are presented with Alex Gates (Nicholson), who is married to Suzanne (Judy Davis), and step-father to Jason (Stephen Dorff). The verbal abuse begins immediately in the family's first scene, and relationships have already been fractured when we enter their lives. Jason can do no right in wine merchant Alex's eyes. He doesn't dress right, he doesn't have many friends, and he sticks up for his mother. They simply don't like each other, never had, and we must take that at face value.
On top of his wine business, Alex is into some small time jewelry heisting. In his second life, he is close associate to Victor (Michael Caine), who is an expert safe-cracker on probation. Meanwhile, Alex is having an affair with Gabrielle (Jennifer Lopez), the nanny for a rich Miami family. Alex has been using her to get at a necklace which could bring him in more than a million dollars.
In a slow-developing format, we begin to see motivations of each character. Jason wants to leave home, and hopes his abused mother leaves too. A loner, Jason's dream is to ride the seas on a fixed-up boat. He wants peace in his life. Gabrielle loves Alex. Unfortunately, Alex is selfish and relentless in his pursuit for riches. Despite his business, he feels unsuccessful and needs money to live the lavish lifestyle he feels he missed out on.
When Suzanne discovers he has two tickets to New York, she refuses to let Alex leave the house. The Nicholson rage emerges for the first time. In a fight which leaves you sympathizing for both characters, both parties are beaten pretty badly. Suzanne leaves home and takes Jason with her. In the process, they wind up with the jewels.
Alex and Victor need the jewels, as this game has suddenly gone terribly wrong. At this time, Jason has also fallen for Gabrielle, who leads them both down different paths. Nicholson has landed in the love triangles he has had in his earlier movies. This leads to more rage as he descends deeper into his self-created psychosis. At one point, he does the unforgiveable asking his hurt wife to tell him where the jewels out. That sentence does not give the scene justice, but I don't want to ruin the film.
Caine is superb as a man who has nown only crime his whole life and will stop at nothing and hurt anyone who stands in his way. But Rafelson is not content in that. Doublecrossing abounds on the parts of Steven, Victor, Alex, and Gabrielle, and we are led deeper and deeper into this tragic tapestry. All characters at one point in time are the bad guy and all become victims.
This is one of the best films I've seen this year, hands down. It brought back the Nicholson of the past, which is the best Nicholson. He wasn't becoming complaicent, I don't think. These types of roles just weren't around. But, he's returned to form, and Dorff is quite the discovery, in this transition from the indie circuit to more mainstream fare.
Rafelson seems to have Nicholson's number when it comes to tapping into his irrational side, and its nice to see them teaming up again. There is no diner scene here likei n Five Easy Pieces, but Nicholson can sneer and Rafelson can pull this mesmerizing picture together without the need to prove anything to the audience. They need not our approval anymore, they've mastered that. Now, its time to just watch this film, and enjoy Blood and Wine for the thrilling, though depressing, drama it is. This picture is about contradictions, even the title suggests one.
I loved this film, no contradicitons here....
My grade: A
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