Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Blood and Ties

      Released Nov 1, 2013 1 hr. 35 min. Drama Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 50% 50+ Ratings Audience Score A young woman's happy life with her father takes a downward turn when she begins to suspect that he's a kidnapper. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (5) audience reviews
      flixster f This work of fiction portrays a story of a devoted father whose voice coincidentally matches with the "Voice of a Murderer". The daughter struggles to find out the bitter truth & defends her father disregarding & even withholding the concrete evidence against him. The climax plays a spoilsport and fails to be convincing enough. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A last minute attempt to find the truth! The Korean thrillers are the best, I can always pick them whenever I feel I want to be entertained. It was directed by a newcomer, but two well known faces interested me. 'The Classic' and 'The Last Blossom' are my favourites and now they are together for this, but a different genre. I think the story was great, but there's something lacking like the thrilling parts which is not as electrified again the concept the film had. You know it has some nervous moments, but not up to the mark if you compare it with other Korean thrillers you have seen. It was the tale of a young woman Da Eun who happily living with her father. The real moments of the film begin when she went to a film that based on the real event and soon she develops some doubts. Since she's a pursuing journalism, starts to dig it while the case is about to expire very soon. But what she finds and how it affects her life is the rest of the film where the pace keeps increasing till the final scene. Like I said it was based on an awesome idea, but should have developed better. Even though it falls short to get the viewers' appreciation, not doubt it was well executed with the brilliant performances. Except it fails to detail the important event of the film where all the puzzle created which is actually a flashback and supposed to be the twist. So I think the climax was a bit cliché, but a decent solution, overall not a bad film as it was considered by others. Once watchable and instantly forgettable. 6.5/10 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I personally find Korean dramas/thriller rarely disappointing. Blood And Ties makes no exception. All the secrets and doubts keeps you intrigued until the very end. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review jesse o This is an intriguing premise undone by silly plotting and characterization as the film nears its climax. It does a good job at slowly building up to its climax, giving you enough to suspect or to doubt the claims that Da-eun's father had anything to do with the kidnapping and murder of this little kid. Of course, once the statute of limitations is up, which is apparently 15 years for kidnapping and murder in South Korea, which is mind-boggling if you really think about, is when the silliness starts to happen. I like the idea of Da-eun not really knowing the kind of person that her father really was and/or still is. There's a good concept in that, not really knowing the person that you trust and love most in this life. And, again, they do a decent enough job for the most part. It's not like the climax destroys everything the film tried to accomplish, it just puts it several notches below what it would've been normally. The problem is the fact that they have to so heavily dramatize what's going on. There's no real subtlety to the climax. It's melodramatic and overacted. And that's a really big problem, because the story of what a father would do for his child can be a good one if done correctly. Mother, by Bong-joon Ho is a perfect example of how well this story can be told if done correctly. You don't have to resort to overacting, melodramatics, and an emotional score to manipulate the audience into buying your story. Just have a talented actor, or actress in the case of Mother, and let her sell the story on her own, without any smoke or mirrors. Mother is one of my favorite Korean movies, so it's obvious that subtlety worked perfectly in that situation. It's not a terrible film whatsoever. It's just one that doesn't make the most out of its concept. Instead relying on old genre tropes that've been worn out for decades. The acting is fine but, again, there's a bit of overacting once the truth is revealed. It took a lot away from the film, not to mention that it's a little bit silly if you ask me. There's no twist, fortunately, it's a 'he did or he didn't'. Don't expect to be M. Night Shyamalaned. It's also well shot, but unspectacular. Nothing about the film truly jumps out at you in any particular way. It's watchable at the very least, but it definitely won't stick with you for a long time. I think I'm determined to watch every South Korean movie that becomes available on Netflix and that's pretty much the only reason I actually chose it. South Korea is one of my favorite countries and many of my favorite films are from there. If you love Korean movies and you've watched everything Netflix has to offer, then this would be a good choice. If not, you should stay way. Not awful, but not good either. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Dae-un and her father Jung Soon-Man are an inseparable pair. She is a graduate who dreams of being a reporter, and he is a hard working delivery man. When Dae-un watches a fictional movie based on a 15 year old kidnapping case, she hears the killer's cruel taunts at the film's end. Something tugs at the back of Dae-un's mind, because her father's voice sounds very similar, right down to his favourite catchphrase: "It ain't over til its over." As Dae-un gets her cop in training boyfriend to look into it, evidence starts to come out after she investigates, and it looks like her father could indeed be the kidnapper. Blood and Ties is less of a thriller, and more of a mystery with drama. The movie really gets down to the countdown, as there is a statue of limitations in just a few days. The movie ends on a rather weird note, as the plot starts to come together. Its not perfect, but its good enough for this mystery film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Critics Reviews

      View All (3) Critics Reviews
      Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times Increasingly intrigues as events unfold, all against a convincing ticking clock. Mar 4, 2014 Full Review Neil Genzlinger New York Times The director, Kook Dong-seok, has a decent suspense dynamic working early, but the closer the deadline comes, the sillier things get. Nov 7, 2013 Full Review David Noh Film Journal International Overloaded plotting undoes this initially absorbing crime story. Nov 8, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A young woman's happy life with her father takes a downward turn when she begins to suspect that he's a kidnapper.
      Director
      Gook Dong-seok
      Screenwriter
      Gook Dong-seok
      Distributor
      CJ Entertainment
      Production Co
      CJ Entertainment, Sunshine Film
      Genre
      Drama, Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      Korean
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 1, 2013, Limited