Just When Michael Caine Was About To Retire, This Jack Nicholson Neo-Noir Thriller Pulled Him Back In

Jack Nicholson and Michael Caine have brought a commanding presence to the silver screen for decades. Each Oscar-winning actor’s gravitas had the ability to add texture to their characters as well as elevate the co-stars who had an opportunity to share scenes with them. When Nicholson and Caine were brought together for Bob Rafelson’s Blood and Wine in 1996, their pairing was quite an event for acting lovers across the globe.

Even as both stars were reaching their senior years, Nicholson and Caine’s performances in Blood and Wine proved they could still make a compelling, steamy noir thriller at a time when Hollywood was skewing towards younger leading men. As a combination of such character-heavy heist thrillers as Thief and Straight Time, the film marked Nicholson’s final picture with longtime collaborator Rafelson, who provided the actor with some of his best character work dating back to his breakout performance in 1970’s Five Easy Pieces. But for Caine, however, Blood and Wine single-handedly saved his career from early retirement. Caine credits the movie for not only restoring his faith in the industry but giving him “another 20 years of career, not as a character actor, but as a leading actor.”

What Is ‘Blood and Wine’ About?

Miami wine dealer Alex Gates (Nicholson) is down on his luck despite his well-kept persona. He’s drowning in debt, strained from his injured wife Suzanne (Judy Davis), and lacks a deep relationship with his fisherman stepson Jason (Stephen Dorff). Desperate to solve his financial woes, Alex plots to steal a valuable diamond necklace from the home of a client with assistance from his sick safe-cracking partner Victor (Caine) and his mistress Gabriela (Jennifer Lopez), who works as a nanny for the client.

Once the heist succeeds, Alex plans a trip to New York to pawn the necklace. Those plans hit a snag, however, when a violent altercation with Suzanne over his infidelity results in the wife and Jason fleeing the house unaware of the necklace buried inside a suitcase. With Victor’s help, Alex goes on a relentless pursuit for Suzanne and Jason to the Florida Keys to get the necklace back, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

With similarities to his scheming drifter in Rafelson’s 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, Nicholson excels by balancing his laid-back charm with his signature short-tempered energy as a nuanced villain with virtually no redeeming value. His disdain for Suzanne extends to a pivotal scene in the film after chasing her in a car which ends in a devastating crash. For a moment, Alex seems to care for the health and safety of his family. But rather than help to get them out of the rolled-over car, Alex constantly pressures Suzanne into giving up the whereabouts of the necklace as she bleeds out.

Though Nicholson shines in virtually every scene, his charisma helps to elevate his young co-stars Lopez and Dorff. Lopez, in particular, comes across as a modern-day femme fatale in contrast to her romantic comedy roles and biopics. She adds sensuality to the film’s noir themes by having a love triangle with Nicholson and Dorff, torn by her loyalty to both men, creating a level of tension that reaches volcanic proportions.

Michael Caine’s Experience on ‘Blood & Wine’ Prevented His Retirement From Acting

Blood and Wine is most significant as the film that breathed new life into the career of Michael Caine. At the time, the legendary British actor had been subjected to a string of flops, including Bullet to Beijing and Steven Seagal’s only directorial effort, On Deadly Ground. Blood and Wine allows Caine to return to the kind of dark character he was best remembered for playing in crime thrillers such as A Shock to the System and Mona Lisa. In this case, his safecracker character’s emphysema is the driving motivator for his illegal activities.

Caine’s finest scene happens when Victor reveals his tuberculosis diagnosis to Alex shortly after threatening Jason’s friend Henry (Harold Perrineau, Jr.) about the stepson’s whereabouts. Before this key scene, Victor emphasizes his dream of living out the remainder of his life in a paradise resort rather than a jail cell. Instead, he vents to Alex while coughing up blood in the middle of a low-level hotel room about his dying state, growing frustrated about a long chase where no good can come out of it. Between working with Nicholson and playing a character completely downtrodden but desperate enough to desire to ride into the sunset, Caine proved he had not lost a single step as an actor with Blood and Wine.

Blood and Wine

Release Date

October 3, 1996

Runtime

101 minutes

Director

Bob Rafelson

Writers

Alison Cross

Producers

Bernard Williams, Chris Auty