Bogota's seedy underworld gets cinematic treatment - but is it really early Scorsese?

Jorge Navas' first feature, Blood and Rain (La Sangre y la Lluvia), was a hit at the Venice Film Festival, received several award nominations and has since been compared to early Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese. Set in the underworld of Colombia's Bogota, spanning the events of one rain-soaked night, Blood and Rain follows taxi driver, Jorge, as he tries to uncover the names of his recently killed brother, William's, murderers.

Opening shots of a city in a storm seen through woodlands make a promising start with beautiful rain footage. From here, the cinematography is just as strong but back stories are lacking. After completing a drop off, Jorge (Jorgita) is intercepted by corrupt Lieutenant Gonzales' (Hernan Mendez) heavies who beat him and arrange a meeting for Gonzales to tell Jorge what he knows of his ex-guerilla-fighter brother's killers.

Gonzales' “dogs” are laughable amateurs, unsure of their lead or even whether they want to get involved. The most brutal of the two comes out with some classic lines, calling Jorge a “cocksucker” and warning him: “Next time we meet, it won't be for a cuddle – I'm going to whack you, see you at 4am."

To contrast, backing Jorge is his dubiously reasonable boss and nightclub owner, Don Hector, who tells him to “Take as many guys as [he] wants and keep [him] informed”. Unfortunately, before Jorge is able to meet with his back-up, Gonzales once again intercepts, taking Jorge and his mysterious tag-along, Angela, on a terrifying journey.

Sped-up shots are used as scene transitions between Bogota's darkened streets and a seedy nightclub where a DJ shouts “let those pills kick in”. Navas paints a murky picture of Colombia's capital city without glorifying or condemning it, depicting characters snorting cocaine and aggressively shouting at one another. We're shown sleazy strip clubs, scenes of a bloody accident and a shell-shocked teen in a hospital entrance being told her blood-covered boyfriend has just died. One of our leads also repeatedly emphasizes just how many dangerous parts of the city there are.

While Navas certainly gets to grips with his settings, his characters lack depth. Introverted Jorge (Quique Mendoza) never really comes out of his shell, making it difficult to empathise with him. His one sympathetic moment is all too brief as he visits a shrine for his dead brother, covered in candles and photographs. The mysterious Angela (Gloria Montoya) is much more interesting, clearly trying to hide from a dark past with copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. Watching her mutually masturbating in front of a man she picks up in a club, it's clear she's disgusted with herself but we're never quite sure why. Bailing on him, she waits in the rain for a cab and refuses to accept Jorge's “off duty” excuse. After Jorge crashes and Angela decides to look after him, she finds herself mixed up in his mess, tagging along from meet to meet until the final unexpected showdown.

At times Blood and Rain is a tad obvious (the story of rain symbolizing purification and new beginnings) while the majority of the film suffers from being too vague. Disjointed scenes are clumsily pasted together, even prompting a number of characters to admit “I'm really confused”. Although the film is certainly atmospheric and uses taxi radio communication to build a picture of a secret underworld, the only truly captivating character is the sadly under-explored yet fascinating Angela.

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