Clint Eastwood

Jeff Daniels

Anjelica Huston

Wanda De Jesus

Tina Lifford

Paul Rodríguez

Dylan Walsh

Mason Lucero

Gerry Becker

Rick Hoffman

Alix Koromzay

Igor Jijikine

Dina Eastwood

Beverly Leech

June Kyoto Lu

Chao-Li Chi

Glenn Morshower

Robert Harvey

Matt Huffman

Mark Thomason

Maria Quiban

Brent Hinkley

Natalia Ongaro

Amanda Carlin

Ted Rooney

P.J. Byrne

Sam Jaeger

Derric Nugent

Craig Hosking

James W. Gavin

Dan Andreiu

Todd Bryant

Bryan Hanna

Ted Hollis

Michael Keyes

Greg Stechman

Sandie West

Michael Connelly

Brian Helgeland

Robert Lorenz

Lennie Niehaus

Tom Stern

Joel Cox

Jason King

Mable Lawson-McCrary

Deborah Hopper

Henry Bumstead

Richard C. Goddard

Jack G. Taylor Jr.

Phyllis Huffman

Merie Weismiller Wallace

Stephen S. Campanelli

Buddy Van Horn

Beau Borders

Eileen Horta

Howard Neiman

Paul C. Warschilka

Steve Mann

Glenn Hoskinson

Doug Jackson

Tom Johnson

Christopher Boyes

Michael Cipriano

Gary D. Roach

Gloria D'Alessandro

Karen Spangenberg

Lucy Coldsnow-Smith

Donald L. Warner Jr.

Juno J. Ellis

Thomas J. O'Connell

Denise Horta

Stephen Janisz

John T. Cucci

James Ashwill

Shawn Sykora

Dan O'Connell

Joe Divitale

Walt Martin

Michael Sexton

Patricia DeHaney

Tania McComas

Carol A. O'Connell

Francisco X. Pérez

Juliet Loveland

Judie Hoyt

Melissa Cummins Lorenz

Steve Riley

Ian Eyre

Richard Bucher

Sharon Schaffer

Buck McDancer

Gary J. Wayton

Ross Dunkerley

Thriller

Crime

Action

Mystery

Blood Work

Malpaso Productions

Warner Bros. Pictures

United States of America

***Dirty Harry’s final case (not really, but seems like it)***

Recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler (Clint Eastwood) takes a case as a private investigator because of his amazing link to one of the victims. Jeff Daniels plays his amusing neighbor, a dock bum, while Wanda De Jesus appears as his potential girlfriend.

“Blood Work” (2002) was based on a Michael Connelly novel and his corresponding protagonist, Terry McCaleb, but the movie comes across as Dirty Harry’s final case after retirement, sorta like “Gran Torino” (2008) was akin to “Dirty Harry, the Golden Years.” 

Eastwood was 71 during shooting, but his character is roughly eight years younger and he pulls it off. I point this out to stress that he’s no longer kick-axx Dirty Harry. This is an aged, retired and recovering detective working on what is likely his last case. A lot of dialog is devoted to emphasizing how over-the-hill he is and how horrible he looks.

So, while this is a gritty big city detective flick in the mold of Dirty Harry, it’s way more subdued and mature. It’s more dramatic and less compelling. If you can roll with that, it’s a decent detective movie. It’s relatively realistic until the ending, which features a twist that I didn’t foresee (although others say they did). The climax is unlikely and smacks of a typical Hollywood ending. “A Simple Plan” (1998) did the same thing: a believable story that takes a “Yeah, right” turn at the close.

The film runs 1 hour, 50 minutes and was shot in the Los Angeles area. Anjelica Huston also appears as a doctor while Paul Rodriguez is on hand as a cranky Hispanic detective.

GRADE: C+/B-

Good entertainment.

I like the plot of <em>'Blood Work'</em>. I'm unsure if it would hold up if you went through with a fine-tooth comb, but it certainly gave me the required enjoyment levels. Clint Eastwood gives a sturdy performance, as do Jeff Daniels and Wanda De Jesus; elsewhere on the cast, neat to see Anjelica Huston and Rick Hoffman, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Suits_characters#:~:text=Faye%20to%20leave.-,Louis%20Litt,-%5Bedit%5D" rel="nofollow">Louis Litt</a> himself, appear in smaller roles.

It's not as unpredictable as it perhaps thinks it is, due to the casting more than anything, but I had a fun enough time with it.

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Blood Work - Theatrical Trailer

BLOODWORK (2002) Trailer