“Human Blood should be enjoyed like fine wine.”- Bloodrunners
When you think of bootleggers, you probably think late night runs and bathtub gin, right? In the new film, Bloodrunners, the liquid being transported is a little closer to our hearts; literally. Jack Malone is a local cop and former World War I veteran with booze and money on his mind. Working with other local cops, he makes sure to get a piece of the bootlegger action, getting a cut from the profits made by underground speakeasies. There’s one, however, that just doesn’t sit right with him. This local speakeasy, Chesterfield’s, is run by a gay man and a black band leader (played by Ice-T). When Malone tries to give them the shakedown, they easily comply. The cops go after one of the local boys who helps work the door at the club and threaten him. He lets it slip that sometimes the club owner run secret missions under cover of darkness. Soon, Jack Malone discovers that there is something far more sinister than bootleggers running booze. They are vampires running blood!
Bloodrunners is not going to win any Academy Awards. To be fair though, I said that about Suicide Squad too. The film is filled with that delightful B-movie quality dialogue and entertaining, if not highly predictable action. Ice-T is my favorite part of this movie hands down. Be prepared for stereotypes galore; a whorehouse filled with women named after flowers, a Madame with a heart of gold, a sassy gay man, every racial epithet know to man, insane vampire-hunting preachers, and crooked drunk cops. Still, like the masterpiece of a film that is Deer Woman, Bloodrunners is hard to look away and so much fun to watch.
This is not the type of film you want to watch with your kids. There’s a ton of blood, lingerie, and swearing. Bloodrunners is the type of movie you play on B-movie night with a glass of wine close by. Oh, and keep your eyes open for Ice-T at the end.
