Rappers like Trick Daddy and Rick Ross have been telling us that life in South Florida isn't all palm trees and piña coladas. It's not just about glamorous women, condos with beachfront views, or cruisin' with the top down on I-95. There's drug abuse, violence, and hopelessness -- much more of it than shows like "Miami Vice" and "CSI: Miami" have ever touched on. In "Bloodline," a new flick by Falcon Films and Codeblack Entertainment, you get a full view the grime underneath the glitz.
"Bloodline," is the tale of Nate and Marcus, two half-brothers growing up on the forgotten side of Florida's hottest city. They're close -- sharing the weight of running in the streets, being poor, and dealing with a trifling mother -- but their first run-in with the law quickly destroys that bond. Marcus' dad takes him out of the hood, leaving Nate with no one to connect with. No father, no brother, and no hope...
Enter Dre, the local neighborhood dealer who takes Nate under his wing. Through parallel sequences, we watch both boys as they turn into men. Marcus spends time with his dad, playing football and studying, while Nate learns how to mix the work and make deals from Dre.
Fast-forward to the present, and Marcus and Nate have truly become opposites. Nate, played by Joseph "Ump" Sweeting, has taken Dre's place as the man who's got the block on lock -- and Marcus, played by Marcus "Money Mark" Seymore, is a Miami-Dade police officer. And "Bloodline" gets gritty from here on.
Ump brings a quiet fury to his portrayal of Nate. He's believable. When he's making a decision, every choice flickers through his eyes. He's not quite Nino Brown in his intensity... more like Romello, from Sugar Hill. There's a hollow sadness to Nate, and Ump balances it well with the arrogance in every scene.
Marcus' story on the other hand, is told largely through montages and flashbacks. Money Mark fulfills his role as the "good one" with his clean-cut looks. And he keeps Marcus' soul from the hood in the scenes of him hanging with his Task Force team and an encounter with his future girlfriend at the comedy club. But this is Nate's story, and it should be, because that's where all the action is.
Any tale about a drug dealer has to involve guns, and there are lots of them in "Bloodline." From attempted robberies, to kingpin rivalry, the dangers of trying to survive in the drug game are put front and center. So while Nate's pinky ring blings, and he does roll through the streets in an Escalade, "Bloodline" isn't a hyped-up look at the lifestyle. In fact, it's one of the most realistic views we've had in a long time.
There's action. There's drama. So... what are we forgetting? Oh yes. The sex. Chicks are just that in "Bloodline" -- chicks. With the exception of Marcus and Nate's main squeezes, the assortment of home grown eye candy in the movie is all about male pleasure. C and D cups runneth over as strippers, groupies, and sex kittens purr into various scenes. And believe me, it's all gratuitous.
This random insertion of booty, and the inattention to detail in Marcus' story makes "Bloodline" feel more like an extended music video than a full-fledged movie. From Task Force cops with no vests on, to a police captain who delivers her lines like a block of wood, there are moments when his entire section of the storyline suffers.
The dialogue though, is so real that, at times, it's both funny and dead serious. This combination of action and humor, along with Ump's performance (and Suthun Boy's menacing presence as Koko), gives Bloodline a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars with BallerStatus. It's about time that South Florida's ghetto got some full screen shine.
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