Like the character played by Tom Cruise in the 1993 thriller ‘The Firm’, from which ‘Blood Money’ is so clearly inspired, our hero is seduced by the lure of the new lifestyle that his job affords him. But when he stumbles upon the truth that his bosses are engaged in sinister businesses involving illegal trading, mafia funding, and murder, he must ask himself if he’s comfortable living off such ill-gotten gains.

This is not The Firm and its sloppily written script is incapable of constructing gravity or drama. Blood Money is inexcusably one-note and short on buildup — things just happen one after the other like a flat, muted series of badly-shot stilted music videos. The songs (by Jeet Gannguli) are as monotonous as the insipid visuals they accompany.

This one has all the toppings of a ‘Bhatt shocker’ – drama, emotion, tragedy and some sex. Once again they push the bedroom threshold – a semi-erotic, steamy scene between two women – every man’s turn-on fantasy. Debutant director, (Vishal S Mahadkar), tells the story well, though some scenes are very stretched, and tries too hard to provoke a reaction. A faster pace, more potent dialogues, not to add some more dum in Kunal’s voice, and a better background score – would have had greater impact.

Blood Money’s trailer gives out the film in 2.05 minutes. And if those posters of Kunal Khemu in the pool with a bunch of babes are stimulating enough to drag you to the theatre, think twice.The lead pair salvages the film to an extent, but a limited scope of the script binds them both from making it an entertaining trip. The out of sync sound in many scenes makes Blood Moneytechnically unstable. Add to all this innumerable songs. Wait for Blood Money’s television premier. Or else, watch the trailer. Why waste 2.5 hours on something you can watch in 2.05 minutes.

On the whole, BLOOD MONEY is old wine with a brand new label. A decent and absorbing first hour coupled with soulful music are its aces, although the mediocre, outmoded writing in the post-interval portions leave you a little miffed. At best, a fair attempt!

There are a few flaws, but I’d rather not dwell on those because the overall impact is massive.