Good start, but then it gets ruined

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

BLOOD TIES (Singapore, 2009; Huan Hun) A police officer being framed for corruption is brutally murdered (along with his wife) by gangsters possesses the body of his surviving sister in order to mete out justice on his killers. It's an intriguing and ultimately moving story effectively played out. The pacing is inconsistent and sometimes seems to take a long time to get from point L to point M as the story develops, and some flashback and repeat flashbacks go on a lot longer than need be, but the film has satisfactory production values and its story possesses an honest heart as it delineates the familial relationships that are at its heart.