Bay for Blood is written and directed by Harry Waldman. It is the story of James, portrayed by David Neylon, who we meet talking to his hostage, Rob, played by Jasper Hammer. This hostage situation becomes more complicated as James falls for a client named Jessica, played by Isaly Viana.

The performances are interesting. James may be a burgeoning sociopath, but he speaks like a regular guy. Rob speaks in an exaggerated manner as if he’s the one trying to restrain a psychopathic break. There are moments when he’s on the border of going full Nicolas Cage. These two performances do not mesh well, but the collision is entertaining. Both of these performances have highs and lows. A third acting style is introduced with Jessica. This is a more consistent portrayal than the others, but it doesn’t reach the same heights.

The characters are fine. I understand James through his actions, and he has the most overall characterization. Jessica feels like a means to an end. Rob, being a hostage, has to reveal most of his character through exposition. Even as Rob explains his point of view and makes some surprising decisions, I don’t feel like there is much to him. His relationship with James is fairly simple, and James’ relationship with Jessica is even simpler. The dialogue is decent.

Bay for Blood is eighteen minutes long. It spends its time efficiently. Its length is a fair reason for the simple relationships. I didn’t feel anything emotionally besides light humor which is probably unintentional. The only practical effect is the blood, which looked serviceable. There is some bold cinematography and editing that I enjoyed. I thought they were cheeky and fun. I don’t believe everyone will share that opinion. These scenes were a little surreal, but nothing hints at surrealism up to this point. It comes out of nowhere. This might cause some confusion because the story is still rather straightforward. I think these moments add a lot of personality and were worth the gamble.

Bay for Blood doesn’t present a new idea. It envisions a classic scenario in its own way. While I don’t think these performances were always effective together, they occasionally impress. I am left with more of a positive impression at the end than I had at the beginning, and there is a lot of media out there of which I cannot say the same.