Blood Work (2002)

Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Michael Connelly (novel), Brian Helgeland (screenplay)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Terry McCaleb
Jeff Daniels	...	Jasper 'Buddy' Noone
Anjelica Huston	...	Dr. Bonnie Fox
Wanda De Jesus	...	Graciella Rivers (as Wanda De Jesús)
Tina Lifford	...	Detective Jaye Winston
Paul Rodriguez	...	Detective Ronaldo Arrango
Dylan Walsh	...	Detective John Waller
Mason Lucero	...	Raymond Torres
Gerry Becker	...	Mr. Toliver
Rick Hoffman	...	James Lockridge
Alix Koromzay	...	Mrs. Cordell
Igor Jijikine	...	Mikhail Bolotov
Dina Eastwood	...	Reporter #1
Beverly Leech	...	Reporter #2
June Kyoto Lu	...	Mrs. Kang (as June Kyoko Lu)

Storyline

Retired FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Eastwood), who has recently had a heart transplant, is hired by Graciela Rivers (De Jesus), to investigate the death of her sister, Gloria, who happens to have given McCaleb his heart. On the case, he soon deduces that the killer, who staged the murder to look like a random robbery, may actually be a serial killer Terry was trailing for years in the FBI. Can the elderly and feeble McCaleb, who had intended to spend his retirement living on his boat in the Los Angeles harbor, and who can't drive, and has to nap regularly, muster up the endurance to find the killer?

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | heart transplant | fbi profiler | sister | murder | 

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Taglines:

A serial killer is just a heartbeat away

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

9 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deuda de sangre

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£61,053 (UK) (27 December 2002)

Gross:

£165,692 (UK) (3 January 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The nick-names of the serial murderers featured in the film's story were "The Code Killer" and "The Cemetary Man".

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Goofs

After Terry discovers that the killer takes mementos from his victims, the 'blowup' of the killer taking Gloria's earring is taken from a completely different angle than the previously seen surveillance tape (not to mention so clear that the other detectives could never have overlooked it).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Detective Arango: [referring to McCaleb at crime scene] Okay, listen. Whatever happens, it'll his face on the front page.

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Connections

Featured in Making 'Blood Work' (2002)

User Reviews

Good For One Viewing

I found this to be one of those films I really enjoyed on the first viewing, but once you know the surprise ending, the second viewing isn't nearly as good.

It's a typically-entertaining Clint Eastwood film. He makes few dull movies, I'll say that for him. Now that he's gotten older, his weather-beaten face makes him all the more interesting to view.

I didn't find Anjelica Huston's weather-beaten face, however, as believable. Her tough demeanor, including vocabulary, is not something a doctor would have, as she plays here. Paul Rodriguez also is stupidly profane in his role but he does have a few funny lines.

The main attraction of the story is the twist near the end so, as mentioned, one look is just about right for this film...and it is worth one look f you want a decent diversion for one night.