Bloodlines

Ambitious British police officer Justine Hopkin (Emma Pierson) and her brother Mark (Kieran O'Brien) haven't seen their father James (Kevin R. McNally) since he was convicted for murder many years earlier. Just released from prison, the former detective claims he was framed and vows to prove his innocence, but instead becomes a suspected murderer once again—and this time the victim is his wife, mother of Justine and Mark. This taut thriller, a gritty police procedural along the lines of Prime Suspect, builds slowly but inexorably to a smashing climax, along the way providing a meaty role for Pierson, who is terrific as the chip off the old block torn between her commitment to the father she still loves and her loyalty to the job that's her whole life. Although the film boasts several surprising plot twists and minor intrigues that smartly serve to muddy the narrative waters, director Philip Martin manages to keep them all sorted out while continuously moving the story forward. Recommended. (E. Hulse)