If you’re looking for a classic movie about an aging detective trying to catch a vicious serial killer, Blood Work is the perfect choice. Based on a novel written by Michael Connelly and directed by Clint Eastwood who also plays the lead role, this is an enjoyable murder mystery. The pacing is a bit slower but this helped with the atmosphere that was quite immersive. Especially if you’re a fan of the genre. This is a cozy and familiar experience that you’re going to forget about in a couple of days.
Clint gave another great performance and I liked the fact that he wasn’t running and doing flips here. After all, he was 72 years old at the time of the shoot. We see that with Stallone and Arnie, still trying to make those action thrillers despite their physical limitations. And just to be perfectly clear, Blood Work has nothing to do with Dirty Harry or any of those movies. I also have to mention Jeff Daniels, who after a series of comedies, proves that he can play almost any role.
If you want further proof of that just check out Chasing Sleep, a movie he shot two years earlier. Moving on, I would say that Blood Work is much closer to a television movie than a big Hollywood movie starring daddy Clint. There won’t be any graphic scenes or murders despite the fact our homeboy is chasing a serial killer. And you can also expect a couple of nifty twists in the story I bet you won’t see coming.
While he was talking with the media about his latest case, FBI Special Agent Terry McCaleb spots someone in the crowd. It would appear that the mystery man is none other than a brutal code killer. He starts running after him almost catching him a few minutes later when he starts feeling a strong pain in his chest. Terry just suffered a heart attack and had to be rushed to a hospital. Two years have passed since that incident and Terry is okay now. And he’s ready to go after his man for one last time…
Blood Work is one of those movies that require zero brain power. You just play them and flow off the screen. You can go to the bathroom or roll another joint and you still won’t miss much of the story. And sometimes you just want to watch a movie like that. Especially if the cast is as good as this one. Finally, I just want to add that some of the scenes involving Clint and Wanda De Jesus playing Graciella Rivers were a bit off. I mean, I know that this is a movie based on a novel and Clint looks better than me right now but still.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Writers: Michael Connelly, Brian Helgeland
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston, Wanda De Jesus, Paul Rodriguez, Tina Lifford
Fun Stuff: Blood Work appears to be the last movie in which Clint Eastwood plays the role of a law enforcement officer. Of course, I’m writing these words in the year of our lord Satan 2010, so we’ll see. Especially since Clint is still very much active.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309377/
