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Blood Work (Widescreen Edition)

Blood Work (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $14.97
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Thoughtful Clint Film
Review: Clint embraced the process of growing older and more fragile in this leisurely paced and thoughtful cop film. Clint has grown older and wiser, both as an actor, a producer, and a director. Even though I guessed fairly early on who the killer was and the film ran a little long, this film is about the journey. Paced much like "Line of Fire" it also is about the character as much as the crimes, and that, coupled with the charisma of Eastwood, gives this film five stars.

Clint Eastwood is legendary F.B.I. profiler Terry McCaleb. He is tracking a serial killer when this film opens known as 'Code Killer', as he has been enjoying the chase, leaving Terry messages written in blood at each crime scene. But Terry finds him and will surely catch him in a foot chase, only he suffers a heart attack so massive during the pursuit that only a heart transplant saves his life, forcing his retirement from the Bureau. The killings stop when Terry retires.

Terry is taking the advice of his cardiologist Bonnie (Angelica Huston) and taking it easy on his boat. Jeff Daniels is great as his next door pal Buddy. Things are going smoothly in the immediate days after the transplant when the darkly beautiful Graciella shows up and wants the former F.B.I. Agent to go look into the murder of her sister, killed at random during a robbery. Terry knows he is not up to the task even though he feels sorry for her and her sister's son, who has lost his mother. But his attraction to Graciella and his own guilt and sense of honor force him to risk everything when he learns the heart beating in his chest belonged to the murdered woman.

Buddy becomes his sidekick as he slowly begins to get up to speed. Terry knows he is not the same man anymore, but somehow he can get part of himself back if he can find her killer and survive the chase. Paul Rodriguez gives a very funny performance as the exasperated L.A. Detective Arrango who thinks Terry should stay retired and stay out of his case.

But Terry still has connections, including the pretty Tina Lifford in a nice role. It is obvious she and Terry had more than a casual relationship in the past and she gives him more leeway than she probably should in his pursuit of justice for his heart donor's killer. Terry begins to have feelings for Graciella and though some have found Clint's performance in the brief love scene rather stoic, his reaction, or rather lack of it, at Graciella's advances in the scene are in keeping with his condition and the fear Terry probably has due to his recent transplant and the health complications brought on by his investigation. It is realistic.

As his old nemisis returns and Terry discovers the reason for all the killings it complicates matters no end, both investigation wise, and in his personal life, which have become intertwined. Eastwood gives a thoughtful performance as an actor and adds some humor and good music as director to round out this entertaining film. His final exchange with Rodriguez and the final shot on the water are worth the protracted confrontation scene. Like Steve McQueen, Eastwood can elevate a good movie to seem a little better than it is, which is exactly what he does here.

This is definitely one you'll want to go see at the theatre and pick up once it comes out on DVD. Clint never lets you down...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hes Back
Review: He's going out with a bang. After an awful film like Space Cowboys, I am really glad Eastwood made Blood Work for one last hurrah. Clint Eastwood is still one of the best big screen stars, even with his age. I've always been a fan of him, with movies like The Outlaw Josey Wales And Dirty Harry. This is a very smart movie with plenty of plot twists. It consists of Eastwood needing a heart transplant. Two years later, a woman asks him to solve a crime for her, where her sister was murdered. She tells him that her dead sisters heart is in her chest, so he needs to help her. It turns out that the person who committed it is the code killer who Eastwood had been tracking before. Eastwood shows good acting in this movie, with plenty of jokes and quotes to remember. "Why do you live on a boat anyway?" "I hate to mow lawns" One of the funniest lines. The action in this movie is good, but slow so Clint can keep up. I wish that he would have just pushed himself a little bit more for this movie, but it didnt disappoint me. This movie has a shocking ending also. I really enjoyed this movie and between this and Triple X, Blood Work is the winner. Clint's still got it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not bad for a septuagenarian...
Review: The film starts off with a crime scene at a suburban house. On a wall in a second floor bedroom a clue is left for FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood) -- the same painted message as the previous murders by this serial killer known as the "Code Killer." Outside the house, the killer is watching McCaleb's every move. McCaleb recognizes the muddy shoe impression on the stairs as matching that of an onlooker. A chase around the neighborhood block ensues, and before long McCaleb gets a heart attack. This forces him to retire and he winds up needing a heart transplant. Two years into his retirement he is contacted by the sister of a recent murder victim looking for his help to find the killer. It turns out McCaleb received the murder victim's heart. What follows is a back-to-basics police work of following up on leads and finding suspects.

Clint Eastwood is definitely showing signs of slowing down. He doesn't have the "edge" I normally associate with Dirty Harry. For this role, I could even describe him as being sedate. I found the romance between Graciella (the murder victim's sister) and McCaleb to be distracting and a bit weird. The age difference is easily 30 years. I didn't need to see any of that to enjoy the plot of this movie. And perhaps this would've shortened the film a bit. This is a long film (about 2 hours). Perhaps longer than it has a right to be.

All in all, the story has a good, steady progression towards the unmasking of the killer. The acting probably could've been better on everyone's part. There are moments of hilarity from Paul Rodriguez (who plays the role of Detective Arrango). There are awkward moments with Eastwood's interaction with the supporting female cast. If you're a diehard Clint Eastwood fan, this film won't disappoint. But for the rest of us, this film doesn't impress.

LEAP rating (each out of 5):
============================
L (Language) - 3.5 (Eastwood sounds like he's giving a eulogy throughout the film)
E (Erotica) - 0 (n/a - intimate moment between Eastwood and De Jesus turned me off more than on)
A (Action) - 2.5 (I liked the scene where Eastwood chases a car down with a shotgun, but in general the killings aren't shown, the deaths are committed beforehand, and we only see the bodies)
P (Plot) - 4 (typical action-suspense thriller with Eastwood trying to find serial killer; coherent plot)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Eastwood Movie
Review: This movie has had mixed revews not so much by criticts but by people who saw it,but I liked this movie because it keeps you interested all through the movie with plot twists and unexpected turns.When I saw this movie I compaired it to a movie that came out eleyer in the year called Insomnia. Insomnia was very dull and laked new material but Blood Work didn't do that and I am glad. I compaired Blood Work with Insomnia because they are both cop dramas and I find That cop dramas cas sumtimes be very dull and they lak material like Insomnia(although Robin Williums gave a good performance).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Eastwood's still got it!
Review: The once and former mayor of Carmel, California has delivered another excellent film!

For me and my generation (I'm 40), Clint Eastwood was THE western hero. Oh sure, there is no doubt that John Wayne reigned supreme, even in our minds, but Clint's portrayals were more sinister. Then there were the Dirty Harry films - this was the thinking man's Arnold Schwarzenegger - he didn't need muscles to take out a man - just that enormous pistol and his gravelly retorts.

In fact, Arny should thank Clint for a career, because without Dirty Harry, I doubt there would have been any of Arny's characters in film.

Eastwood has certainly had a few misfires: Any Which Way They Can (?) and as a director: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

With Blood Work, Eastwood shows us he's not only got the goods as an actor but as a director too.

Based on a good novel, Eastwood had good source material. (However, if my recollection is good, the story line is slightly adjusted in this film). Terry McCaleb is a FBI profiler on the trail of a serial killer. He physically "makes" the guy, but doesn't see his face. He chases him down and even manages to shoot the SOB while he has a serious heart attack.

Flash forward two years and Terry is recovering from a heart transplant that has put him out of commission for a while. Suddenly, a beautiful hispanic woman shows up at his door with information that her sister's heart resides in his chest after she was executed during a convenience store hold-up.

Guilt and curiosity compel Terry to investigate further. Soon, Terry realizes that the hold-up killer is responsible for other killings as well.

I dare not tell more, as it will ruin the film for you. However, suffice it to say that you will be entertained and surprised repeatedly. This is a very detailed, character driven thriller AND who-dun-it. There is much detail and the devil is in the details in this film.

Hit the theatres and see this film - if not, be sure to put this on the top of your list to view at home when it comes available.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: If you read the book - watch out!
Review: I loved the book and had high hopes for the movie. I was a bit concerned about Eastwood playing the lead role, as he's waaaay older than the character in the book. But, I saw that Eastwood had worked some with Michael Connelly (the author) when the book was written. So I thought Eastwood would do right by the book and I let his age slide.

The movie started out just fine and I settled back for a great experience, but then it all started falling apart. The tight plot that I loved in the book was destroyed and was replaced by a contrived piece of nonsense. The fascinating twists and turns of the investigation were eliminated - for example a brilliant deduction by the main character was replaced by an inane comment made by a child. By the end of the movie, I was hoping the killer would win. I wanted Eastwood to pay for trashing a great story. The intelligence, excitement and thrilling plot were replaced by a dull, slow-paced Eastwood vehicle. And the shame was...it didn't have to be that way. I actually wondered if Eastwood had set out to destroy the book because of a personal
grudge.

If you must see this movie, read the book first.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Typical Cop Movie
Review: From the get go Blood Work keeps us interested. However, as the film goes along it sinks into the same old Hollywood cliches. My three biggest problems with this movie were 1) It is painfully obvious at the beginning of the film who the killer is. 2) Eastwood is what in his 70's now? It's getting more and more far fetched that a brunette bombshell would actually fall for him. 3) It's a shame that the killer is always just a lunatic. You think by now the hollywood people could create motives. But no, they just make the killer a physco and expect us to be satisfied.
However, despite these flaws this movie is still an above average cop film. Definitely better than such standard fare as The Bone Collector or Along Came A Spider.At least it's fun to watch and guess as the clues develop. However, For those of you upset with cliched endings to cop films I reccomend The Pledge instead.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Low Budget Bomb
Review: Terrible plot, terrible acting. It's a low budget bomb! Give it a half a star. The theatre was airconditioned.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solve the Crime
Review: This is a suspense thriller that will keep you hanging. Clint Eastwood (as director) will draw you into the detective's mind (McCaleb) as he is trying to solve the crime. As a retired FBI agent and a heart transplant recipiant, he is drawn into detective work once again. As he reviews each clue of the mystery, the scopes expands, becoming one huge jigsaw puzzle with all of the pieces interlocking. Even the keenest movie buff will have a difficult time guessing what will happen. See if you can solve the murder... otherwise you will just have to sit back and let the plot unfold.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Clint still the magic - Good movie
Review: Since other reviewers have already gone into the story, I'll skip that and only add that I really enjoyed this movie! Clint Eastwood is superb. As is Jeff Daniels and Wanda DeJesus.The script is good with a solid plot. I disagree with the reviewer that compares this to Dirty Harry. Seriously, can you imagine Harry Callghan collapsing in a chase with a heart attack? Don't think so.Eastwood still looks in incredible shape and still has that acting charisma. His acting days are far from over.Good movie. Looking forward to more from Clint Eastwood.


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