Créance de sang

In "Blood Work" Eastwood plays an FBI agent, recovering from a heart transplant, who is asked by the sister of the murdered woman whose heart he received to find her killer. The result is surprisingly even and interesting murder mystery in which we see Eastwood piece together the evidence pointing to the killer while dealing with heart transplant issues and making nice with his pro bono client. The film has fewer plot holes than most murder mysteries; leans more toward human interest than derring-dos; and is another example of Eastwood successfully pushing out the age envelope in a self-directed film product. Recommended for more mature couch potatoes into murder mysteries. (B)

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-

Clintwood's 'Blood Work' may not be the best nor most stylish of its genre but it remains enjoyable for the most part mainly because of the cast. It's quite a simple film but I found the end revelation disappointing and the last half hour is a little too dramatic. During the entire first hour, Eastwood cleverly avoids excessive violence and gore and smoothly lets the tension build. Clintwood is supported by a brilliant cast that includes the fabulous Anjelica Huston, the elegant Wanda de Jesus, the charming Tina Lifford and the funny Jeff Daniels. The cast does well but Daniels's performance is ruined by the overdone last half hour. The film rests on Eastwood and it's great to see him play such a role at 71 and pull it off so well. The jazzy background score gives 'Blood Work' a classy touch. Thus, to sum it up, one can expect a simple but engaging whodunnit thriller which is ruined a bit by the ending but Eastwood and his cast prevent it from being a waste of time.

Retired FBI detective helps a young woman solve the murder of her sister--but he's got a personal motive: he himself received a heart transplant from the victim! Not a bad vehicle for Eastwood, convincingly raspy and worn, and still imposing when he has to be. Brian Helgeland's screenplay via Michael Connelly's novel is full of police clichés, and the denouement isn't terribly surprising, but Clint has become a reassuring presence on the screen: his shortcomings and realistic aches and pains make him wonderfully human. Supporting cast including Jeff Daniels and Angelica Huston is also good, making the best out of a routine, unmemorable script. **1/2 from ****

Clint Eastwood's 20th feature directed and starring himself, Blood Work, is a good sign in times of recent thriller drek. Here is Clint, 72 years old, and actually doing the right thing; being the old sort of Dirty Harry-esquire type of cop while still being realistic with himself. Truth be told, he won't do movies forever, much less be a cop with almost all the right moves, and here we see him as FBI Agent Terry McCaleb in the beginning try and climb a fence to catch a code killer (which resonates from past Eastwood projects) and he collapses from a heart attack (sad but oddly accurate). He retires, and two years later a woman comes forth to him asking for help in finding a killer.

And anyway, what makes Blood Work so fascinating (if only up to a point if seen more than once) is that it's a well crafted thriller, one that has the usual police procedural from many years back, a bit of a romance with Wanda DeJesus, and comic relief from Jeff Daniels. So, if you decide to see this latest installment in the sprawling career of Clint Eastwood, keep in mind that it has all the style, music, and nostalgia even in donuts that it had back in the day 30 years ago. And maybe it's just me, but it will be hard not to grin when you see him grab a gun. B+