Blood Work (R, 2002)

In BLOOD WORK, Clint Eastwood stars as Terry McCaleb, a veteran FBI profiler. On the verge of capturing a taunting murderer, McCaleb suffers a heart attack and is forced into retirement. Two years later he is slowly recovering from a heart transplant when he is visited by the sister of the woman whose heart now beats in McCaleb's body. Her sister's murderer is still on the loose, and she wants McCaleb on the case. He reluctantly agrees and is soon finding clues, with a little help from his lazy fishing neighbor (Jeff Daniels). McCaleb disobeys doctor's warnings and dodges bumbling fellow officers to carry out his case, also becoming close to the woman (Wanda DeJesus) and her nephew (Mason Lucero).

The presence of a Hollywood icon as an actor and director cannot overcome Blood Work's predictable script. The trouble with this film is that the believable parts are unsurprising and the surprising parts are unbelievable. Eastwood's presence hasn't diminished one bit over the years and his storytelling skills still shine, and Daniels also does a very good job, but the movie is simply never too interesting to anyone who's seen this kind of film before, especially after they've been done so well in Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs.

The film's climax is probably the most interesting part, but it's hard to believe that the McCaleb, who was so perceptive in the film's first half, wouldn't have figured out the killer and his/her motive much sooner, which seemed obvious to much of the audience.

Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Anjelica Huston, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 115 minutes
Theatrical release: August 9, 2002
DVD release: December 27, 2002
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: violence, language, and brief sexual situations