Blood Work [Blu-ray]

Director: Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood

Overview

A retired detective must battle former colleagues and his own failing health in order to bring a murderer to justice in this action drama produced and directed by its star, Clint Eastwood. Terry McCaleb (Eastwood) was one of the best and most thorough detectives at the FBI's Southern California office, until a massive heart attack sidelined him from police work for good. Following a heart transplant which saved his life, McCaleb has resigned himself to living quietly on a houseboat for the rest of his days, observing a strict health regimen prescribed by his cardiologist, Dr. Bonnie Fox (Anjelica Huston). However, McCaleb is persuaded to take on one last case through the insistence of a woman named Graciela Rivers (Wanda De Jesus). Rivers's sister was murdered in cold blood by a mugger, and her heart was used for McCaleb's transplant; now, Rivers wants McCaleb to find her sister's killer. McCaleb agrees to take on the case, but he quickly discovers his weakened physical condition makes the rigors of handling an investigation far harder and more difficult than its ever been before; he also can no longer drive a car, and must persuade his oddball friend from the marina,Buddy Noone (Jeff Daniels), to ferry him around town. Before long, despite these drawbacks, McCaleb discovers evidence which suggests the murderer may be a serial who uses random street robberies as a cover, but he finds that Ronaldo Arrango (Paul Rodriguez) and John Waller (Dylan Walsh), the police detectives assigned to the case, are not especially interested in sharing the glory (or their legwork) with the former FBI point man. Blood Work was adapted from the novel by Michael Connelly; Brian Helgeland wrote the screenplay.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2012
UPC:	0883929237487
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	12,494

Special Features

Get to the Heart of This Thriller's Production in Making Blood Work; A Conversation in Spanish with Clint Eastwood, Wanda de Jesús and Paul Rodriguez (with English subtitles); Theatrical trailer; Teaser trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Clint Eastwood	Terry McCaleb,Reporter No. 1
Jeff Daniels	Buddy Noone,Jasper «Buddy» Noone
Wanda De Jesus	Graciella Rivers
Anjelica Huston	Dr. Bonnie Fox
Tina Lifford	Jaye Winston
Paul Rodriguez	Det. Ronaldo Arrango
Dylan Walsh	Det. John Waller
Mason Lucero	Raymond
Gerry Becker	Mr. Toliver
Rick Hoffman	James Lockridge
Alix Koromzay	Mrs. Cordell
Igor Jijikine	Bolotov
Beverly Leech	Reporter No. 2
June Kyoko Lu	Mrs. Kang,Actor
Chao-Li Chi	Mr. Kang
Glenn Morshower	Captain
Robert Harvey	Restaurant Manager
Mark Thomason	James Cordell
Maria Quiban	Gloria Torres
Brent Hinkley	Cab Driver
Natalia Ongaro	Receptionist
Amanda Carlin	Office Manager
Ted Rooney	Forensics #1
P.J. Byrne	Forensics #2
Sam Jaeger	Deputy
Derric Nugent	L.A.P.D. Officer
Craig Hosking	Helicopter Pilot
James W. Gavin	Helicopter Pilot
Bryan Hanna	Front Desk Cop
Greg Stechman	Dock Crew
Craig Hoskins	Helicopter Pilot
Matt Huffman	Young Detective
Lennie Niehaus	Composer

Technical Credits

Brian Helgeland

Michael Connelly

Clint Eastwood	Director,Producer
Brian Helgeland	Screenwriter
Phyllis Huffman	Casting
Robert Lorenz	Executive Producer,Producer
Stephen Riley	Special Effects
Buddy Van Horn	Stunts
Michael Connelly	Screenwriter
Judie Hoyt	Producer
Camille Geier	Special Effects
James Ashwill	Sound Effects
Bub Asman	Sound Effects
Beau Borders	Sound Effects
Christopher Boyes	Sound Effects
Bradley Clouse	Sound Effects
Patrick McGoohan	Producer
H. Barclay Aaris	Special Effects
Todd Bryant	Stunts
Walt Martin	Sound/Sound Designer
Harry Cohen	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

As both an actor and a director, Clint Eastwood gets better as he gets older, and this suspenseful thriller provides the septuagenarian star with one of his most engrossing roles to date. He portrays Terry McCaleb, an FBI agent forced into retirement by the near-fatal heart attack he suffered while chasing a notorious serial killer. Saved by a last-minute heart transplant, a still-ailing Terry is asked by Graciella Rivers (Wanda De Jesus) to investigate the murder of her sister -- whose heart now beats in his chest. The Michael Connelly novel that screenwriter Brian Helgeland has adapted supplies the director-star with an interesting dilemma that Eastwood exploits for maximum dramatic effect. The search for the woman's murderer leads Terry back to the serial killer whose pursuit nearly cost him his life. Eastwood plays the former G-man as weak, tired, and feverish, constantly pressing a hand to his scarred chest while brushing off admonitions to relax. The character is continually conscious of his own mortality, yet driven by both his duty as a lawman and his obligation to the dead woman who gave him a second chance at life. As the donor's sister, De Jesus is subtle yet strong; she's not a dewy-eyed ingénue or a voluptuous sex kitten, but rather a mature woman who gradually develops affection for the ailing ex-agent. Jeff Daniels scores solidly as the amiable layabout who acts as Terry's chauffeur -- and who figures prominently in the film's exciting denouement. Understated and even elegiac in tone, Blood Work puts a different spin on familiar melodramatic plot conventions, and it has an emotional resonance that's absent from most thrillers -- which makes it, arguably, Eastwood's finest film since Unforgiven. The DVD sports a making-of featurette and interviews with Eastwood and other cast members.