Blood & Wine

It seems that after making five films together, Jack Nicholson and director Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces, The Postman Always Rings Twice) have beaten the life out of their collaboration. In this tired, ‘90s noir, Nicholson revives his sardonic smiles and coolly cruel persona to play Alex Gates, a married wine merchant planning to heist a diamond necklace with the help of his mistress (Jennifer Lopez) and his partner (Michael Caine). When Alex's wife (Judy Davis) finds out about the affair, she takes off with her son Jason (Stephen Dorff) and the diamonds. The film has some deliciously dark moments, but they're muted by some boring, by-the-book characters, and the hackneyed premise. Unlike a good noir, Blood & Wine doesn't have any compelling double-crosses and, since it's set in pretty Miami mainly during the day, the film actually looks cheerful, undermining its shadowy undercurrents. Not recommended. (L. Russo)