Wicked Blood DVD Review: Thank goodness for a stellar Cast

Wicked  Blood tries to toe the line between sophistication and artifice, but with a story centered around the standard mafia double-cross set in Louisiana told from the view point of a teenaged girl it just comes across as strange and not all too believable.

Abigail Breslin plays Hannah, a teenage girl trapped in a corrupt Southern underworld of violence, guns, drugs and biker gangs. Constantly at odds with her older sister, Amber (Alexa Vega), Hannah finds her only refuge in chess, which she uses it as an analogy she applies to life and plays with her drug-addicted Uncle Donny (Lew Temple). All three live in fear of “Uncle Frank” (Sean Bean) Stinson, a criminal kingpin, who runs the family business with an iron fist, aided by his brain-damaged and psychotic brother Bobby (Jake Busey). But when Amber falls in love with Bill Owens (James Purefoy), an outlaw biker, meth trafficker and Stinson family rival, Hannah devises a plan to pit one against the other in a cunning game of revenge.

The entire flick has a very Sopranos feel to it, but with a back woods flare. You’d be more likely to believe they were dealing in raccoon pellets than “hillbilly crack” aka meth given the landscape and the incredibly small cast. The number of extras are few and far between making the town seem even more back woods.

But what Wicked Blood lacks in story, it more than makes up with performances. With Breslin there’s no overacting, there’s a coolness that’s exuded and far beyond her years that really carries the movie and keeps the interest. Vega really embodies the small town girl wanting to break out. Temple as the addict and former chess champion Donny is just as entrancing. Bean is well, he’s Bean and he’s perfection. When he and Busey get on camera they make the best of what they have. Purefoy struggles a bit in the beginning with stiffness, but finds his feet before the end to turn in a solid performance.

The video conversion is nothing to complain about. The blu ray is crisp. The audio is clear.

Extras: The only bonus features are separate interviews with Breslin, Bean, Purefoy, and Vega.

Bottom line: Despite a clichéd plot and slightly unbelievable story elements, Wicked Blood excels because of some powerhouse performances.

Wicked Blood hits DVD March 4th.