What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedBlood Ties
Guillaume Canet · Film · 2013
If you loved Blood Ties, start with Rivals (2024) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Blood Ties across media.
If you were captivated by Blood Ties, you clearly crave stories where the unbreakable pull of family clashes with criminal ambition.
Start with the source
The source
Rivals
Series · 2024
Books on the same thread
City on Fire
Don Winslow · Book
Explores: loyalty and betrayal, intergenerational conflict, criminal empire.
Just as in Blood Ties, this saga explores the destructive toll of organized crime on familial bonds, forcing you to choose sides in a brutal, sprawling war.
Crook Manifesto
Colson Whitehead · Book
Explores: systemic corruption, 1970s urban decay, criminal underworld.
Like the gritty Brooklyn streets of Blood Ties, this narrative captures the 1970s urban decay and the moral compromises required to survive within a dangerous criminal underworld.
Brighton Rock
Graham Greene · Book · 1977
Shares a thread with Blood Ties: Redemption.
This classic mirrors the dark, psychological tension found in Blood Ties, specifically focusing on the intersection of religious morality and the heavy burden of seeking personal redemption.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Michael Connelly · Book · 2011
Shares 3 threads with Blood Ties: Moral Ambiguity, Redemption, Crime Thriller.
If the moral ambiguity of Blood Ties held your attention, you will appreciate how this legal thriller navigates the gray areas between the justice system and criminal defense.
Series on the same thread
Peaky Blinders
Steven Knight · Series · 2013
Shares 3 threads with Blood Ties: Family Loyalty, Moral Ambiguity, Organized Crime.
This epic shares the core DNA of Blood Ties, centering on the complex loyalty of a family embedded in a violent, high-stakes criminal organization fighting for power.
Blue Bloods
Robin Green · Series · 2010
Shares a thread with Blood Ties: family loyalty.
If the moral ambiguity of Blood Ties left you wanting more, this podcast provides an investigative look at individuals caught in the middle of complex legal and social dilemmas.
MobLand
Ronan Bennett · Series · 2025
Shares 3 threads with Blood Ties: Family Loyalty, Moral Ambiguity, Organized Crime.
The power struggles and betrayals that defined the conflict in Blood Ties are central here, showing how quickly family ties crumble under the pressure of gangland warfare.
Bloodline
Glenn Kessler · Series · 2015
Shares 2 threads with Blood Ties: Moral Ambiguity, Family Loyalty.
Like Blood Ties, this story peels back the layers of a troubled family to reveal how sibling rivalry and long-buried secrets lead to inevitable moral decay and guilt.
Podcasts on the same thread
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Blood Ties: moral ambiguity.
If Blood Ties hit, Criminal shares the thread.
Kinahans Downfall
Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Blood Ties: Organized Crime.
This deep dive into gangland violence reflects the real-world brutality that Blood Ties dramatized, focusing on the ruthless nature of organized crime and the cost of betrayal.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Blood Ties based on a true story or a fictional adaptation?
Blood Ties is a 2013 crime film directed by Guillaume Canet. It depicts a fictionalized conflict between two brothers on opposite sides of the law in 1970s Brooklyn. The film focuses on the tension between their personal relationship and the organized crime activities occurring within the city.
Does Blood Ties share any creative team members with the TV series Rivals?
While both titles are distinct projects, Blood Ties is a 2013 film directed by Guillaume Canet, whereas Rivals is a 2024 television series. There is no direct creative overlap between the production of Blood Ties and the 2024 adaptation of Rivals.
What is the primary setting and time period of Blood Ties?
Blood Ties is set in Brooklyn during the 1970s. The narrative centers on two brothers who find themselves on opposing sides of the law, specifically focusing on the impact of organized crime in the borough during that decade.
Should I watch Blood Ties if I enjoy stories about brothers in organized crime?
If you enjoy stories about familial conflict within the criminal underworld, Blood Ties is a suitable choice. The film specifically explores the dynamic of two brothers on opposite sides of the law as they face off over organized crime activities in 1970s Brooklyn.