Bloodline

Plot synopsis:
Sam Roffe, President of Roffe & Sons Pharmaceuticals, dies in what appears to be a climbing accident, leaving his daughter Elizabeth (Audrey Hepburn) a billion-dollar empire. Roffe's board members see an opportunity to settle old scores, jockey for higher position, and reap lucrative profits. However, an investigation into Sam's death discloses that it was a murder and that a power struggle is going on within the company.
Lead investigator Max Hornung (Gert Fröbe) informs Elizabeth of his list of suspects, which includes her closest advisers and financially strapped family members. During this time, she marries CEO Rhys Williams (Ben Gazzara), but he, too, is identified by Hornung as a suspect. As president, Elizabeth follows her father's wishes and refuses to let shares of Roffe & Sons sell on the world market. Her choice prevents the board members from selling their shares as the company's by-laws prohibit it until all board members agree; on the other hand, her death would allow for a unanimous decision.
After several attempts on her life, an international chase across Europe ensues. Hornung is able to connect these murder attempts to a series of homicides of prostitutes, which have been recorded on snuff films using Roffe film stock with a witness in a black Gucci leather coat (several suspects are linked to this coat).
Elizabeth returns to her father's villa in Sardinia during a scirocco for protection from the unseen murderer, who sets her house on fire after she begins destroying objects and shouting, "Now try to make it look like an accident!" Williams and one of the shareholders, Sir Alec Nichols (James Mason), both show up to save her, but Hornung figures out that Nichols is the killer and shoots him before he can murder Elizabeth in a symbolic snuff film.

Tags: flashback

Review:
You cared about the characters and you so wanted to know what had happened in the past.Without spoilers I will just say that season 2 was dumb and boring and season 3 was weird and stupid.
Smart characters did dumb things.If you can watch Season 1 and then stop, good for you.
Having now watched the complete series in an utterly unstoppable binge I can say without a shadow of a doubt that, for me, this is up there with the greats like True Detective, Breaking Bad and Rectify (to name but a few).
The cinematography is phenomenal and I bet you will all be wanting to move to The Keys after watching this I do hope they make a follow up series, however if they want to leave us wanting more but very satisfied at the same time stopping here would do just that.
Bloodline is a quality Netflix series, that totally validates their strategy of delivering a season in complete, binge-worthy form, rather than an episode at a time.
But it is a near constant reminder of tragedies that have plagued the family who own and operate the resort.The place in the sun the Rayburns enjoy is one they have carved out through hard work and determination guided by the vision of their folksy yet menacing ex-sailor/ex-ranch-hand patriarch Robert Rayburn (Sam Shephard) and his adoring yet industrious wife Sally (Sissy Spacek).Though seemingly every tropical acre evokes painful memories they have put far too much in to consider leaving.
They watch everything he says and does looking for signs of betrayal of their secrets.The rivalries within families about the direction of their legacy play out in a more compelling way in a more believable setting on this show.
That is how good the writers were in finding that commonality.The opening montage with its time-lapsed view of the beach during a thunder storm is coupled with suitably haunting theme music beginning each episode with dark mysticism.
It is perfect for the intricate rhythm of each teleplay.Bloodline is nothing less than exceptional viewing worthy of multiple Emmys particularly for writing and for the acting portrayals delivered by the entire brilliant cast.
Sucked So Bad. I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS I've SEEN IN YEARS !!Season 1 and 2 are excellent ...Season 3 is an absolute mess , not one bit interesting exciting ,it seems it was made by a totally different production company its just horrible ..every episode is slow meaningless drawn out , its simply lazy writing to wrap up a once good story !
I really enjoyed season 1 , this series really promised a great deal, season 2 was a disappointment in comparison with the plot becoming more and more far fetched and with some new characters who just didn't fit , you know when the script writers start running out of ideas when "ghosts ' or figments of imagination start appearing and by season 3 they were running riot and haunting the whole show with dream after dream and whatever!
Wonderful, amazing plots and people--Kyle Chandler is total eye candy:)Netflix is doing a wonderful job in the original series department...Just say no to cable TV:) Netflix Keep up the great work....I loved this series--because its real~real people, real family problems,no veneers, fake boobs, lips or face jobs or other distractions to take away from the great story line...very refreshing~ I hope that you bring more indie type series as well, cannot stomach sitcoms or the totally fake reality TV- thank you for carrying the new artists and new talent in the production services as well-It is going to be a great summer:).
Thanks to another reviewer I saved 2 hours of my life and skipped the last two episodes.I have to wonder what it is like to be a quality actor who has had two great seasons and then learn that your task is to watch the whole enterprise go down the drain because the writers ran out of juice.The third season has been a disaster with even the set up for the trial not being believable.I guess that's my bottom line: little of the third season is believable.
Lots of talking and not much doing.Similar to the electronic music genre "progressive", just when you think something exciting is about to happen, it sedates you back into Boringville.The acting is good for what its worth, but if you have any imagination whatsoever, you can probably come up with a more thrilling story on the bus during your commute to work.KR out!.
The series start highly promising, however from the second season the whole thing gets too slow, uncertain and badly directed.
The acting and character development and the plot was great throughout the series but the 2nd half of season 3 seemed to lack creativity and dissappointed us..
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing were it not that it at the same time just doesn't deliver when it comes to character building or plot development.
I have watched all the big shows that get high scores, if they are slow or fast doesn't bother me, as long as they deliver in the end.
(You will get it when you watch )It didn't have any one boring scenes throughout the whole thing !The actors are great with a a great performance not the still learning type we see in any new series .Gonna Continue with this i think this series will be something in the near future .Recommended.
So it's amazing thing that NetFlix gave you not only one episode but like a whole season over two days :D ...The Show started slow ,, and kept on going slow ,, and just in the last couple of minutes Boom gives you a surprise.
The plot was not clear in the first hour just brothers who had problems with their oldest one and try to figure out whether letting him to come back home or not.Honestly,The writing needed just a little bit more work ,, the plot itself appeared not that tight ,, loose all over the first fifty something minutes, but it gets more organized with each episode and kinda more intriguing ,, again thank god there were seven of these episodes because if i only watched the first one i wouldn't keep on watching it.The cast is okay ,, the characters of "Danny and John Rayburn" are the most mysterious ones and the Actors did a good job keeping it that way.For me it's not the type of Thriller i'd usually be eager to watch because a two minutes thrill out 50 is no thrill,, but the Drama is flowing and growing without interruption so who knows what's coming next, 13 episodes have been ordered so still 6 episodes to see where this is going.....update...."Danny made a mistake and now they're all paying for it" :D The last 6 episode were so tense and intriguing ;) to be more specific ...
The ending of the episode 12 and the finale is just surprisingly thrilling and unpredictable,, "We're not bad people but we did a bad thing" ;) well they're talks they might renew it for more than a couple of seasons ,, so let's watch how the Rayburn's story is gonna evolve.well after all it moderately Recommended ;).
Season 3 was a waste of time to watch with little or no story line and constant flashbacks that we all just love (NOT) I think the writers ran out of story line and just use fillers of random nonsense to fill the gaps.
The gradual build-up of psychological tension between a family makes this series compelling to watch, even to the extent of feeling uncomfortable as you witness how things unwind.
Need say that this guy is born to do broken and hard characters, even sometimes I think that he's to deep and involved in the creation of his characters in most of the movies and shows that he was part.Great show, and Ben deserve so many nominations and awards for this performance.
The unravelling of the family dynamic will keep the viewer captivated, as well as numerous plot twists to keep the tension at an all time high, as each episode escalates into a greater drama for the Rayburn Family.
I just finished watching Season 1, and it was great.The cast includes Sissy Spacek, Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Sam Shepard, Norbert Leo Butz, and Chloë Sevigny.The story is about the prosperous Rayburn family, headed by Sally and Robert Rayburn (Spacek and Shepard) who own a inn in the Florida Keys.
Linda Cardellini, whom I only know from Mad Men, is very different here as a confused woman not exactly sure what -- and who -- she wants.The showy role belongs to Ben Mendelsohn, and he is fantastic as the attractive charmer Danny, who brings and makes trouble wherever he goes.
She seamlessly becomes the character she is playing, and her Mrs. Rayburn is sensitive, a little on the fragile side, in some denial, and a woman who loves her children.Highly recommended especially as a binge-watch.
The story itself is also played out in a great way in witch even though you are going from a start to end (not working back in time to figure things out) they are constantly giving you flash backs and flash forwards to help give curiosity and build the final scene, ( that might not make sense but as you watch you can figure it out).
The acting, direction and locations were superb, and the main plot and writing kept me interested and always wondering and guessing what was next for this family.
By Sunday evening we had finished the entire first season (no spoilers here, but there is a second season on tap).The acting is good enough that you forget you are not watching a real family.
not to my surprise, it turns out the show creator was responsible for a couple of seasons of Sopranos, so know you are getting that level of sophisticated drama).The show is just gorgeous to watch.
The intricate family history is portrayed frequently through flashbacks, but all timed perfectly to build the story and lead the viewer through a harrowing tale that literally had me cringing and on the edge of my seat on multiple occasions.Thank you to the cast, crew, writers, producers, and Netflix for raising the bar sky-high for scripted dramas and providing such a truly enjoyable viewing experience.
I do; however, know that it brings you in like a David Simon piece, (without the story line of an ensemble cast) The acting is great.
The story of a family ravaged by rampant alcoholism and a careless attitude towards boating safety measures in the Keys.It's captivating to watch them guzzling booze like there's no tomorrow while sharing dark anecdotes and bad memories until awkwardness ensues.There's quite a few skeletons in this family, so many in fact that painkillers addiction and cocaine abuse look pale in comparison.The characters, their relationships and the Keys are realistic as hell and make for a great series in all seriousness.
It took me a long time to start watching Bloodline.
I felt I should, because it got such solid reviews, but the description - black sheep brother returns home, did nothing for me.When I finally started watching it, though, I realized the description didn't in any way convey the intensity of the series.This is a show about a brother whose homecoming raises old conflicts and causes new ones.
Ben Mendelsohn is particularly memorable as Danny.The story is punctuated by flash forwards that are brilliantly put together in the season finale.
My recommendation: watch the first season as a mini-series, then stop..
I just happened across it looking for something good to watch; just finished both seasons and O.M.GBloodline blows away several mainstream shows.
I watched the entire season in 2 days and recommend that you binge also so you don't think of the plot as slow rather than a episode by episode unfolding thriller..
Ben Mendelsohn plays the black sheep of the family Danny Rayburn who is easily the most interesting and unique character from the series, every moment he is on screen he shows how much of a tortured soul Danny really is and you don't know if you should feel bad for him or if he truly is an evil person but i feel he is playing both perfectly.
Kyle Chandler also holds his own character John Rayburn very well as the second oldest sibling as the show progresses we see how the smart sensible son slowly loses his mind and forms his own dark secrets.there's only a handful of series and films which I feel deserve a 10 star rating and after only seeing 1 series of Bloodline I feel this definitely deserves a 10/10..
This is just by far the best family drama/thriller I think I have watched.
I'm sure Netflix produced this for binge watching because I know I couldn't stop once I was pulled in.
I haven't watched the entire season yet - I'm up to episode 9, but it's like one of those books where you can't help but turn the page and keep reading.
I love the Keys, and Kyle Chandler is always great, but watching this was like pulling teeth.
But the last episode, while answering the questions of this season just added more and made you want to continue watching what happens to this family - so loving and perfect on the surface, so flawed where no one can see it, Cannot wait for the new season!.
I watched the whole first season in 5 days so everything is pretty much fresh in my mind, I can say episode one gets you hooked for sure (as any other good enough pilot episode would do) but what comes after that for the next 5-6 episodes is painful, massively slow development and even slower story-telling.
Then in the last 4-5 episodes is where the thing really accelerates and starts progressing smoothly.The acting by Ben Mendelsohn and Kyle Chandler is pretty good, the rest of the cast is OK and honestly don't know why but I never really felt Linda Cardellini character, she lacked depth, don't know if it was due to a lack of her performance or due to some poor writing for little Meg.Overall this is an average series, enjoyable at points, full of clichés and honestly I would have never kept looking watching it if all the episodes weren't at my disposal from day one as you can lose interest pretty quickly going through the episodes (imagine if you had to wait for weeks, rating would have dropped nosediving).
The first half of season one was good -- not great -- but enough to keep watching.
I loved this show when it first started up until the last few episodes of season 2.
However, this cliffhanger alone has forced it to become a series which does seem like a bit of "money grabbing" from Netflix to try and squeeze out another season from the writers.Overall though, this is one of Netflix's best and I would give an enormous amount of recommendation to anyone who loves crime dramas with a lot of depth.
I also loved "Friday Night Lights", with the great actor Kyle Chandler who does an amazing acting like all the Rayburn family.I'm in the 11th chapter and i don't want it ends....The way they tell the story...
There's a bit of draw-in because all the flash-forwards leave you wanting to know how exactly things end up and what happened to get there, but really, you could skip several of the episodes in the middle.
Really, slow pace and pretty bad acting splashed with a bit of drama (dragged on for 13 episodes) do not an amazing show make.
Sure some of the things done to him in the past were bad misdeeds, but his "revenge" is just the workings of his pathology, and it is hard to watch the others around him not see what he is up to - in real life I doubt he would get as far with his seriously screwed up life and plans as the character in this show allows.It is a good look and reveal at how good at the con a sociopath can be...A good little book about this is "the sociopath next door" or something quite similar....
I really had a great time watching the first 2 seasons!
I literally just started watching this show 2 days ago and I could not stop watching it I am addicted I'm already done the first season and it is absolutely amazing the writers of this show are geniuses I have not seen a show that has been this good in a very long long time very suspenseful keeps you guessing you do not know what the next step is...
I started watching this show when it came out, and I absolutely loved the first season.
The following two seasons do not tell a story which needed to be told, none of the new characters are interesting (and some are downright annoying), and the episodes move at a snail's pace, and stuffed with the worst kind of boring filler.
Think again.Watch season 1; watch it three times over if you like.
I'm not complaining that all doesn't end well (no spoiler since we all know that) but from the way the season (particularly the last two episodes) leaves us confused.
Such a shameful ending for one of the absolutely GREAT T-V series of all time..
Strong feelings and great performances from all actors while the mystery and family secrets reveal episode by episode!The second season was not so good as the first.
If you love character driven story lines, then you will probably like this show.
Bottom line: if you don't like slow drama, then don't watch this.p.s. I had never heard of Ben Mendelsohn before, but WOW he absolutely kills it in his performance..