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

2 wins.

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:

shot in the back of one's head | 2000s | title same as book | villain not really dead cliche | evil man | 

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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. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

9 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deuda de sangre

Filming Locations:

2527 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,312,413, 11 August 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$26,199,517, 13 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Productions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A behind-the-scenes making-of promotional documentary for this movie was made for television. Entitled Making 'Blood Work' (2002), it is available on the DVD. However, the short doc reveals by use of scene clips the whodunit identity of the film's serial killer.

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Goofs

When Dr. Fox is doing her blood work on Terry, an x-ray is used whilst performing the biopsy. Both times, neither she nor anyone around are wearing protective lead garments against radiation exposure, which is a standard practice in any medical establishment. In addition, an endomyocardial biopsy, as it is called, is not preformed in a medical office as shown in the movie. It is performed in a cardiac cath lab, which is effectively, an operating room. All personnel are in scrubs and a sterile field is required. Lead is worn underneath the surgical gowns. From an outside perspective, it may not be readily apparent that the staff in a cath lab are wearing lead IF they are wearing surgical gowns appropriately.

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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

References The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

User Reviews

NEW HEART; NEW BABE; NEW GUN; SAME CLINT - Fun movie.

One wonders how sick and old Clint's movie persona will have to become before he finally becomes unable to bed the young babe and shoot it out with the bad guy. Well, not yet, although his mortality is surely front and center in "Blood Work".

As a former FBI profiler, he suffered a heart attack while chasing a serial murder suspect; after a long wait due to his rare blood type he finally got a heart transplant - the catch is he now has the heart of the woman whom that serial killer may have murdered specifically so that McCabe could get the heart. The killer wanted McCabe active as he enjoyed the challenge and the chase. Then, the sister of the murdered woman seeks McCabe's help, and tells him whose heart he has, thus bringing him out of retirement and into the hunt despite his doctor's orders.

All the pieces of the plot fit together rather well, except for the plot hole listed below that to me ruled out a major character as a potential suspect.

Paul Rodriguez is both ridiculous and obnoxious as an Hispanic detective with a bad attitude. I suppose he was there for comic relief, but I never found him funny, not in the film nor anywhere else. Jeff Daniels dusts off his "Dumb and Dumber" schtick as the marina neighbor. Tina Lifford is very effective as a helpful Sherriff's deputy, and so is Wanda De Jesus as the rather angry sister who jumps Clint's bones despite the huge transplant scar - and her own sister's heart beating underneath (or was that a turn-on?).

It is all rather familiar, and basically the same "old" Clint, but nonetheless a very enjoyable movie and a well-written story. For those who say "when will we see a different Clint?", well, we already have in a number of more sensitive films.

PLOT HOLE:

At the ATM early in the film he unknowingly confronts the actual killer - wearing a woman's crucifix earring in his right ear. Unfortunately, there is a close-up of that same ear subsequently (before we know who the killer is), and it is NOT a pierced ear; thus, I ruled him OUT as a suspect. He could not have worn that earring, and don't tell me he used Crazy Glue. This is a plot hole.