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‘Earth and Blood’ Review: Gory French thriller is not for the faint-hearted but still lacks a soul

As you tune into the French Original ‘La Terre et le Sang’, a deadly and dangerous drug war stares at you

Spoilers for ‘Earth and Blood’ aka ‘La Terre et le Sang’ 

When you think of a French movie, what first strikes you is the color, the slow romance, and the human complexities. Social and political commentary is part and parcel of their cinematic themes.

But, as you tune into the French Original ‘La Terre et le Sang’ dubbed as ‘Earth and Blood’ on Netflix, a deadly and dangerous drug war stares at you.

Directed by Julien Leclercq, the film revolves around a sawmill owner and his teenage daughter. The two become entangled in a deadly feud when a drug dealer stashes stolen cocaine on their remote property. The first scene begins at a gunpoint and like a dagger, slowly turns its way through a tale that traverses into flesh and blood. Blood is thicker than water, they say. Does that mean you need to follow your blood relations even into the dark and dingy lanes of deceit and damnation?

That thought will plague your mind as the plot thickens.

Played by Sami Bouajila, Saïd is the central character, who owns a sawmill deep in the woods. At the onset of the story, he decides to sell it in order to ensure a better future for his 18-year-old deaf and mute daughter, Sarah (Sofia Lesaffre). Little does he know that a young boy on parole would turn out to be the snake in the grass. Saïd spots Yanis (Samy Seghir) and asks him to give him a hand. Later, Yanis asks him for a job.

Forced by his kith and kin, Yanis hides a large amount of cocaine inside the factory. When the members of the drug cartel turn up, Saïd realizes that danger lurks at every step and death is the only consequence. Forced to strike back to protect Sarah, Saïd transforms the sawmill into an embattled camp. And as the number of casualties grows, so does the thirst to get an eye for an eye.

Perhaps, one scene that sends chills down your spine is when Sarah comes to find Yanis locked and removes her hearing aid. Another one that may scar you is when the saw cuts human body parts. But, if you are a self-proclaimed masochist, the violence, aggression, and revenge will keep you hooked. While the performances are top-notch, the fault remains with the script written by Leclercq along with co-screenwriters Jérémie Guez and Matthieu Serveau.

The poorly etched-out characters will leave you perplexed. If only the makers knew how to add a little soul into the heart of the film, it would have struck a chord. For now, the movie deserves two-and-a-half hours. But, before you sit down to watch it, here's a warning: it's not for the faint-hearted!