Blood Work (2002)

Great Film overall

Fantastic!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I never knew the work of Clint Eastwood very well, neither as an actor nor as a director. I've seen some movies directed or starred by him, but he's usually one of those actors/directors that I've never paid attention to. It's a mistake, I know, and I am willing to correct that. He's one of those people who know cinema with an intimacy and proximity reserved for very few and it was with great pleasure that I watched him in this film, where he accumulates the functions of director and protagonist.The story is simple, but it works quite well: a retired police officer, who received the heart of a murdered donor, is invited by the donor's sister to investigate the crime. However, he quickly realizes that her death is linked to a serial killer he was trying to arrest when he fell ill. Of course, there are some details that I found unrealistic, such as the simple fact that a family member of an organ donor is able to identify, by chance, one of the patients who received those organs. I cannot imagine this happening in real life. But if you decide to ignore these details, the plot works and creates an effective and elegant thriller. There are good action scenes, but they are punctual and may not satisfy the appetite of those who seek it.Clint Eastwood showed remarkable agility, given his age and even anticipating, as is often the case, the use of stunts. And besides, he adapted perfectly to the character and to what he asked of him as an actor. Jeff Daniels also deserves congratulations. He has a character that begins by looking totally insignificant, but ultimately proving to be important. I don't want to say what's going to happen, I'll just recommend you to keep an eye out for the way he talks and behaves. Wanda de Jesus fulfilled what was asked of her, and gave the film a romantic and feminine touch.Ultimately, this movie is worth for the good performance of the actors and the good plot. It is not the best movie of any of those involved, but it has value for what it is, allowing us an hour and a half of good entertainment.

If it weren't for the obvious identity of the killer (I saw it coming a mile away), this was an otherwise well acted and well done Eastwood movie. The story takes its time to develop but does not drag. Seeing Eastwood play a character with a heart condition was an interesting change of pace for him. And Paul Rodriguez was completely annoying beyond words, but this is nothing new for him. It's too bad that the last 20 minutes falls into the typical Hollywood ending, otherwise this could have been a top notch crime drama.

"Blood Work" came as a complete surprise to me. I'd never heard of the film and the ratings on IMDb are mediocre. Yet, I thought it was a terrific film.When I talk about the movie, it is VERY important to point out that I cannot talk about the plot too much as it would be bound to reveal too much about the story. After all, it's a mystery/suspense film and where would the suspense be if I talked about the serial killer or their motives? Suffice to say that it is pretty original...and pretty weird (but in a good way). This is what I feel I can say about the plot. An FBI profiler (Clint Eastwood) is great at his job but he has a huge problem...his heart. It's so bad that he's forced to retire and get a transplant...and the film is about him being pulled back into profiling in order to solve the murder...the murder of the person whose heart he now has inside! There is so much more to it than that....trust me.Overall, this is a super-original story, filled with excitement and suspense. The only thing I didn't like was how angry some of the cops were when Eastwood's character tried to help them with a case which was completely stalled. You'd THINK they'd welcome some expert help!! Still, despite this cliché, it's an amazingly good picture.

What starts off as a traditional detective hot on the case of serial killer becomes something more when the donor heart of a victim is put into the body of the detective. Yes, this is far- fetched but in the hands of Eastwood, it's just enough to be this side of mediocre.What doesn't translate so well, are the uneven moments between his detective McCaleb and the other two L.A.P.D. officers with one played inexplicably by Paul Rodriguez. Not only is his "comedy" inappropriate for the subject matter, a lot of the times it sticks out like a sore thumb. Most of it, as you can imagine, are various versions of which body part he thinks McCaleb should receive next. Just terrible. You almost feel that Eastwood allowed Rodriguez to come up with a lot of his own jokes. They fall flat.The actual plot itself is set up finw, but falls apart towards the end. There are a lot of poorly choreographed shoot outs. Should I say clumsy. And the discovery of new evidence feels like really bad exposition. Specifically when we realize a certain tape and call from 911 is relayed to victim's sister and played like she's the only one in the room who doesn't get it. This is an easy trick so that the actor and blurt this out without seeming like exposition. Or for the audience who is too dumb to put it together. The bigger issue is how lame the discovery is.Overall though, it is a little more unique than your detective movies. A nice twist, a few good moments between actors. On a slow night, it isn't a bad watch.