In the Blood

The creators of In the Blood seem to hate the Caribbean, depicting it as a cesspool of slums, cockfights, corrupt cops, and ruthless killers -- until, finally, director John Stockwell and company seem to feel so bad about slandering the islands that a villain (Danny Trejo) criticizes his cronies for giving their home a bad name. That he does so immediately before committing even more gruesome crimes is part and parcel of the ridiculousness of this subpar action movie, in which Ava (Gina Carano) must find her husband, Derek (Cam Gigandet), after he suffers a zip-lining accident on their honeymoon and then vanishes. Ava's search is complicated by the fact that everyone, including a shady police chief (Luis Guzmán) and Derek's wealthy dad (Treat Williams), treat her like the main suspect, though Stockwell lets scene after scene drag on so long that any sense of righteous wronged-woman rage is negated. An early montage of Carano frolicking in a bikini and cradling a baby dutifully establishes her femininity before the ensuing violence -- shot in spastic handheld that prevents a good view of the actress's daunting fighting skills -- duly confirms her combat credentials. Carano's badass-beauty charm notwithstanding, it's a grim, formulaic saga in desperate need of some genuine B-movie fury and flair.