Blood and Wine, story by Nick Villiers and Bob Rafelson, directed by the latter

Blood and Wine, story by Nick Villiers and Bob Rafelson, directed by the latter

You could look at the stars of this motion picture, relax, enjoy them, or say that this is a waste of the otherworldly talent of Jack Nicholson and Michael Caine, who lead the cast of this rather ignored feature.

Jack Nicholson – for some years the Jupiter of the Cinematic Olympus – plays the part of Alex, a middle aged man married to Suzanne aka Judy Davis, step father to Jason aka Stephen Dorff.

Alex tries to make his business work, but he is tempted to get money through easier – at least on the surface – means, although they would entail robbing some rich people, stealing their jewelry.

To complicate the web of relations, desires, nefarious plans, emotional entanglements, he is trying to seduce the gorgeous Cuban girl Gabriela – portrayed by the stunning, better than in some of her failed roles Jennifer Lopez.

Gabriela works as a baby sitter – although when he meets with her, Jason thinks she does not look the part – for the rich family that becomes the target of the theft planned by Alex with his accomplice, Victor aka the Film Legend Michael Caine.

While he pretends to offer the best solutions for the wine cellar of the wealthy clients, Alex steps into the room where they keep their safe and valuables to take pictures, which would help the criminal Victor establish how to operate.

The latter says that the rich are always negligent; they keep property in excess of one million dollars in cheap safe boxes acquired from Sears, which means there should not be any problem getting to the valuables.

There are some complications however, first when they reach the gate of the mansion where there is no guard, Victor starts using the horn, enraging his partner in crime and when they reach the house, there is nobody there to answer the door.

The guard arrives to explain that the owners are gone, which the criminals knew, so they retort that Gabriela is supposed to let them in…but she was just fired they learn, seemingly ending their planned operation.

Alex is creative though, albeit for the abominable purposes, stating that extremely expensive wine would be lost if the expert he brought – Victor called Harold for the occasion – does not repair the problem in the cellar.

The jewels are taken, with Victor making a photo of his comrade holding the necklace – to be used if needed later on – explaining the next steps, which would take Alex to New York where he would get in excess of one million dollars for them, this money not being available on the Southern coast of the United Sates where they are operating…

After some tense exchanges, the wine merchant agrees to travel to the Big Apple, only first class, intending to take Gabriela with him, after he buys the tickets, makes his suitcase – which actually belongs to his wife – when he is interrupted by Suzanne.

A scene ensues, in which she asks her husband about his frequently repeated trips and he responds that he has to go to Napa for some business, making her show the tickets she found in his coat, which demonstrate that he is lying.

Criminals have an explanation most of the time, which in the first instance is that the plane tickets are for two sales agents – why first class? – that have to maintain good relations with customers…

Finally, the man does not care any more about appearances, just wants to get the tickets to fly away, get the money, eventually run with his mistress, but his spouse does not like the plan, hits him, he slaps the wife, who uses a club to send him unconscious on the floor.

While Alex is senseless on the floor, Suzanne packs the same suitcase, taking out the man’s clothes, but not the small bag with the precious necklace that she does not know is inserted in a side pocket, intending to drive the car away from her house.

Jason arrives and they both drive away to the boat that a friend has near Largo, which they can use for some time, until they may eventually sail away – to the Mediterranean the mother suggests at one point.

When the son finds the necklace, he takes it to a jeweler who says it would be seventy-five dollars, making the young man and the audience think this means the stones are false, but the expert says this is to evaluate it, he does not have upwards of one million dollars…

This is when Jason understands the game, in which the two criminals are searching for him and his mother, kicking his friend Henry to make him talk, eventually Suzanne meets with Victor in a bar – she had not seen him before – and a fight breaks when the son arrives at the dancing place.

To make the story more interesting- although it is somewhat hard to understand why Gabriela is involved with the otherwise charming Jack Nicholson, who is an unpleasant villain in this feature- Jason and Gabriela get close.

This part of the plot is not really developed, since the two had met before, if there was an attraction, a reciprocal feeling, why then she would carry on with the married, older, unreliable Alex and not opt for the young, stable, handsome Jason.

When Gabriela have an argument on a boat, she is right though to tell him he does not hold the moral high ground to reproach the above, fro he had found the precious necklace, took one stone out to pay for a simple boat…

The writer and director has said that this film is the final chapter in the trilogy started with Five Easy Pieces and continued with The King of Marvin Gardens, but at least the latter is a much better work than Blood and Wine.