Blue City

Directed by Michelle Manning, Blue City follows Judd Nelson’s Billy Turner as he and two friends (Ally Sheedy’s Annie and David Caruso’s Joey) set out to solve the murder of his mayor father. Filmmaker Manning, armed with a script by Lukas Heller and Walter Hill, delivers a hit-and-miss endeavor that remains unable to wholeheartedly capture and sustain the viewer’s interest, which is a shame, ultimately, given that the movie does possess atmospheric visuals and a perfectly workable premise – although, in terms of the latter, the decent setup eventually gives way to a tedious, repetitive mystery devoid of compelling attributes. And while Sheedy and especially Caruso are quite good here, Nelson’s smug and progressively grating work as the thoroughly unlikable protagonist essentially (and effectively) exacerbates the picture’s arms-length feel – with the actor’s less-than-charismatic efforts ensuring that one’s efforts at rooting for his ne’er-do-well figure fall increasingly flat. The inclusion of a few admittedly decent sequences, including an appreciatively violent climax, are, as a result, ultimately unable to compensate for the lackluster vibe, and Blue City is, in the end, a disappointing misfire that might’ve benefited from a more capable performer in the central role.

** out of ****