Blood Work (Full Screen Edition)

Starring:Gerry Becker, Chao Li Chi, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesus, Dina Eastwood, Robert Harvey, Rick Hoffman, Matt Huffman, Anjelica Huston, Igor Jijikine, Alix Koromzay, Beverly Leech, Tina Lifford, June Kyoto Lu, Mason Lucero, Glenn Morshower, Paul Rodriguez, Mark Thomason, Dylan Walsh
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Clint Eastwood's Blood Work is a refreshing reminder that Hollywood's young Turks can still learn a lesson from good old-fashioned craftsmanship. Settling into an easygoing groove that recalls his early work in Play Misty for Me, the 72-year-old producer-director-star acknowledges his age by playing a retired FBI profiler and recent heart-transplant recipient. He's recruited by his heart donor's grieving sister (Wanda De Jesus) to find her dead sibling's killer, and personal obligation compels his dutiful but health-risking investigation. From a sharp, sensible script by L.A. Confidential Oscar® winner Brian Helgeland (from Michael Connelly's novel), Blood Work consistently plays to Eastwood's no-nonsense approach, elevating the mystery while giving Jeff Daniels (as Eastwood's neighbor and amateur sidekick) a substantial role in the suspenseful proceedings. Some may chuckle at a brief Eastwood-De Jesus love scene, but there's ample proof here that Clint's still got all the right moves. --Jeff Shannon

Description

A former FBI profiler who has recently undergone a heart transplant comes out of retirement to track down the serial killer who has recently begun killing victims with the former agent's blood type.

Customer Reviews:

Clint may be old, but he till has all of the right moves!!!!.......2007-01-02

As a fan of the "Terry McCaleb" series by Michael Connelly, I didn't have a problem with Clint Eastwood portraying the F.B.I. profiler. Though there might be an age difference, I thought Eastwood captured the character of the no-nonsense, tough-as-nails McCaleb perfectly. In the film version of the novel, Blood Work, McCaleb has a heart attack while chasing a vicious murderer known as the Code Killer through the back allies of Los Angeles. The movie then picks up two years later and sixty days after McCaleb has finally had a heart transplant. Still recovering from the operation, McCaleb is approached by Graciella Rivera (the sister of the donor, Gloria, whose heart was given to him) to find the man who killed her beloved sister. Perhaps out of guilt at being the receiver of the heart and against his better judgment, McCaleb agrees to look into the case. He really doesn't expect to find out much, knowing that the police have probably taken the case as far as it can go. All of that, however, changes as he starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together. What had seemed at first to be a routine homicide ends up being something far darker and more violent than even our retired profiler could suspect. He soon discovers a connection between Gloria's death and the murder of a man that happened just two weeks before hers. This leads him to eventually believe that the Code Killer is back and that Gloria was killed so that he might have her heart and once again enact the battle between good and evil as the serial killer refers to it. You see, the Code Killer hasn't finished with McCaleb and wants him back in the game. The only thing the Code Killer hasn't figured into the equation is that though McCaleb's fragile, he's not as nice as he used to be and intends to put this asshole down the hard way with everything he's got. The ending isn't going to be pretty.

As the director and star of Blood Work, Clint Eastwood proves that he's still at the top of his game. He keeps everything simple by casting good actors (Jeff Daniels, Angelica Huston, Wanda De Jesus, and Paul Rodriguez) who know exactly what to bring to a performance, getting each shot with just one or two takes, and playing Terry McCaleb as a real character who's in his senior years with a serious health condition. The pace of the movie may be slow, but that's to be expected. Neither Eastwood, nor McCaleb, are exactly young men in their prime. Eastwood plays the role the way it should be done, taking it nice and easy, until the final confrontation occurs and he can do a "Dirty Harry" on the bad guy. I love it at the end when the Code Killer thinks that he's won the game and walks confidently away from McCaleb, only to be shot by our slightly tarnished hero. That's definitely something Dirty Harry would do. Though there are a couple of things that aren't explained in the movie such as how the killer is able to tap into the organ donor's website to get the necessary information or how the killer is able to be parked down the street from the convenience store for the shotgun shootout when he's actually supposed to be doing something else, which I can't give away without telling you who he is. The shootout was great, but the timing wasn't right and left a big plot hole for me to wonder about. It makes me think that a scene was cut out of the movie. Still, Blood Work is an excellent, suspenseful film with Eastwood doing what he does best. It's one I can watch again and again without getting bored, and that says a lot for a movie.

Not the Book.......2006-12-21

Don't expect Connelly's Blood Work in this movie. The story starts out nearly word for word from Connelly's book, however the Eastwood McCaleb is probably a good 30 years older than Connelly's McCaleb - what a disappointment. I cringed every time I saw Eastwood run or fire a gun. At one point in the movie, McCaleb and cop Winston recklessly blast out all of the windows of a speeding car for no apparent reason and then act as if nothing happened. Huh? Somewhere along the line, the movie diverges drastically from the book to the point where the real murderer turns out to be a completely different character. Too bad so much of the original book was lost in translation.

**THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THE DVD**.......2006-09-10

GRET EXTRAS included, not too much attention paid on this movie and DVD, but I consider it one of Clint Eastwood's best. The extras are not too good in my opinion, but they include all:

*Making of Blood Work and Films Production
*A Conversation in spanish with Wanda De Jesus and Paul Rodriguez
*Theatrical Trailer and Teaser

That conversation would be great if it wasnt in spanish, but I can understand it.

A strong Clint Eastwood movie, where retired FBI agent Terry McCaleb must deal with his new heart and a psychotic killer.......2006-08-27

Blood Work is a clever and satisfying mystery, in my opinion, with one drawback: The killer isn't all that hard to spot. On the other hand, the "why" of two of the killings is appalling, the police procedural aspect is interesting and it has the star quality of Clint Eastwood to power things along. More specifically, it has Eastwood taking full advantage of his age to play a retired FBI agent who has had a heart transplant, who is unwell, who keeps touching his chest in an uneasy awareness that what's there isn't his, who has to gulp pills and plot his temperature, and who often looks clammy and exhausted. At 72, this is the smart Clint Eastwood who some time ago decided to make his advancing years work for him, and not pretend to be an artificially preserved action hero.

Terry McCaleb (Eastwood) was an older FBI agent on the trail of the Code Killer, a psycho serial butcher who leaves number clues next to his victims. McCaleb nearly catches him once during a hard chase through L. A.'s alleys. And then he has a heart attack. Two years later, McCaleb has retired and is living on his boat in the Long Beach marina. Beating in his chest for the last 60 days is the heart of a young woman who was murdered in a convenience store hold-up and who happened to have a rare blood type that matched McCaleb's. Her sister (Wanda de Jesus) has discovered McCaleb was the recipient and talks him into investigating the crime. He reluctantly agrees. His cardiologist (Anjelica Huston) is furious. The two detectives on the case want no part of him. His only allies are his former FBI partner and a neighbor on the next boat, a laid-back aging surfer dude (Jeff Daniels). Painstakingly, McCaleb slowly begins to find a pattern that is intensely disturbing.

For me, the movie works for three reasons. First, even though through the process of elimination the killer can be fairly easily spotted after the first 40 minutes or so, the reason behind the recent killings is well disguised. I didn't catch on until just before McCaleb did. There is a certain ick quality to the killings that made it worth hoping that the killer would have a painful death. Second, Eastwood's acceptance of his age brings a lot of resonance to his recent movies, including this one. Eastwood looks his age. Although most 72-year-olds probably wish they had Eastwood's bone structure and weight, there's no disguising the turkey wattles of his neck. He doesn't try to. Third, McCaleb's concern about his health after his heart transplant is believable. I think it would take some getting used to having a donated organ in your body. I'd be constantly aware that the body's rejection could happen anytime and could be fatal. McCaleb has to haul around a carrying case full of his medications and water. He has to track his temperature for any signs of a fever. He takes a lot of pills. We're with him twice when he has to undergo a catheter inserted in a neck artery and threaded into his heart. It's uncomfortable and exhausting. McCaleb may be a smart FBI detective, but he's a man with a damaged body he has to come to terms with.

As with most Eastwood movies, there is a strong woman for his character to interact with. Graciella Rivers is the sister of the woman whose heart is now beating in McCaleb's body. She's a waitress in an upscale restaurant and bar; she's taken charge of her sister's young son; and while she's concerned about McCaleb's health, she wants her sister's killer caught and punished. When a relationship slowly starts to develop between her and McCaleb, it's very much one between two adults.

The climax of the movie takes place at night in a deserted, half-sunken freighter which had run aground in the middle of the Long Beach harbor. There are plenty of rusting, dark stairwells, steel doors and compartments filled with oil-slicked water. What makes the action work for me is that it is believable. There are no improbable stunts and flashy explosions, just a wounded killer and McCaleb, and McCaleb is pushing himself too hard. It takes a little assistance from Graciella to finish the killer off.

The DVD transfer looks very good to me. There are few extras, including a couple of puff-piece "How we made the movie" features.

Another gritty cop thriller from Clint!.......2006-03-21

This suspenseful police drama suceeds on many different levels--as a gritty serial killer chase, a portrayal of transition to retirement for a high achieving senior, a re-discovery of love and life and a portrayal of obsession. Eastwood excels at choosing great stories. His direction and acting are also superb.

Enjoy another high quality cop thriller from Clint Eastwood!

Average customer rating:

Clint may be old, but he till has all of the right moves!!!!
Not the Book
**THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THE DVD**
A strong Clint Eastwood movie, where retired FBI agent Terry McCaleb must deal with his new heart and a psychotic killer
Another gritty cop thriller from Clint!

Blood Work (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Gerry Becker , Chao Li Chi , Jeff Daniels , Wanda De Jesus , and Dina Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Description

A former FBI profiler who has recently undergone a heart transplant comes out of retirement to track down the serial killer who has recently begun killing victims with the former agent's blood type.

Customer Reviews:

Clint may be old, but he till has all of the right moves!!!!.......2007-01-02

Not the Book.......2006-12-21

**THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THE DVD**.......2006-09-10

A strong Clint Eastwood movie, where retired FBI agent Terry McCaleb must deal with his new heart and a psychotic killer.......2006-08-27

Another gritty cop thriller from Clint!.......2006-03-21

Bloodwork & Placebo Effect - 2 Seperate DVDs - Action & Adventure Set

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Bloodwork & Placebo Effect - 2 Seperate DVDs - Action & Adventure Set

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

2 Seperate DVDs - Action & Adventure Set
Blood Work DVD by Clint Eastwood!
Placebo Effect DVD based on real-life U.S. Undercover Secret Agent: Luciano Saber
Blood Work Bonuses:Making Blood Work:Featurette,Trail & Teaser-Star/Dir./Writer Highlights!
Placebo Effect: Bonuses: Trailers & Production Photos

ASIN: B000Q0PC84

Product Description

Bloodwork & Placebo Effect - 2 Seperate DVDs - Action & Adventure Set DVD 1. Bloodwork: Clint Eastwood CRIME THRILLER-English or Francais-Dolby 5.1, Subtitles:English, Francais, Espanol-Retired FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood), who has recently had a heart transplant, is hired by Graciela Rivers (Wanda De Jesus), to investigate the death of her sister, Gloria, who happens to have given McCaleb his heart. On the case, he soon deducts that the killer, who staged the murder to look like a random robbery, may actually be a serial killer Terry was trailing for years in the FBI. Can the elderly and feeble McCaleb, who had intended to spend his retirement living on his boat in the Los Angeles harbor, and who can't drive, and has to nap regularly, muster up the endurance to find the killer? BONUS:Making Blood Work:Featurette,Trailer & Teaser-Star/Dir./Writer Highlights! 2.Placebo Effect: ESPIONAGE & ASSASSINATION PLOT ACTION & ADVENTURE-REGION FREE-A team of assassins that are plotting to kill the U.S. Vice President have their plans disrupted when a Russsian cab driver, Aleksander Ivanov (Luciano Saber star of : Cut Throat, Soap Girl) stumbles onto their Chicago factory hideout. Their story takes a turn towards chaos when the assassination team leader, Zac (Francesco Quinn star of Platoon, JAG, Miami Vice) becomes paranoid of the other gang members, and challenges their loyalty! Written by and based upon the experiences of former U.S. Undercover Secret Agent, Luciano Saber who worked on over 130 cases for a federal covert agency. The real U.S. 007! BONUS: Trailer & Production Photos

Average customer rating:

Blood Work/Mystic River
Starring: Gerry Becker , Chao Li Chi , Jeff Daniels , Wanda De Jesus , and Dina Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Customer Reviews:

A BETTER LIFE IN NOT ACROSS THE BORDER!.......2003-09-20

This most unusual action/thriller shot in mexico and the U.S., focuses on the hard, dangerous lives of Mexicans attempting to cross the border into the U.S. Telly Savales stars as the tough cop dealing with the evil Mexican officials who blatantly ship them over the border to work in horrible sweatshops.

GRAPHIC FOOTAGE

I want back those 78 minutes of my life........2002-11-05

The first five minutes of the movie were actually pretty cool. An exciting car chase and shoot-out. After that, I found the movie to be predictable and tired. The dialogue sounds like it was written for junior high students. There was a hideous and graphic five minute scene where a steer is first shot, and then butchered with an axe and various cleavers. This film can best be described as an amateurish hispanicsploitation film, where all Americans (except Telly Savalas) are shown as brutal racists and profiteers. Leave this one in the bargain bin of history.

Blood Work (Full Screen Edition) / Heartbreak Ridge (Two-Pack)

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Blood Work (Full Screen Edition) / Heartbreak Ridge (Two-Pack)
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Blood Work [Region 2]

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Average customer rating:

Blood Work/City by the Sea
Starring: Gerry Becker , Chao Li Chi , Jeff Daniels , Wanda De Jesus , and Clint Eastwood
Director: Clint Eastwood
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Be A Magnet To Success Complete DVD System. Included 3 x DVD's, Songs For Success CD, Magnet To Money Computer Screen Saver, Success Visualization CD, Laughing Meditation CD and work book

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Be A Magnet To Success Complete DVD System. Included 3 x DVD's, Songs For Success CD, Magnet To Money Computer Screen Saver, Success Visualization CD, Laughing Meditation CD and work book
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Use The Law Of Attraction and Become A Magnet To SUCCESS! This complete DVD Home Training System could be worth Millions $$ to you when followed. Now, for the first time we have created the most comprehensive SUCCESS system ever offered. Containing the most advanced cutting edge technologies, along with our amazing MusiVation discovery of positive affirmation songs by Bob Proctor (Star of The Secret) and Michele Blood. You too can learn how to use the law Of Attraction to become a powerful and happy Magnet To Success and Joy in every area of you life. Great for anyone wishing to go beyond positive thinking and ready to take ACTION!

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Okay, how long will it take you to figure this one out?

Blood Work [Region 2]

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Customer Reviews:

Okay, how long will it take you to figure this one out?.......2006-04-16

I would expect a wide range of responses to "Blood Work," with the key factor being at what point in the proceedings you went from being behind in figuring out what was going on to getting way ahead of the game. Once again Clint Eastwood is working in front and behind the camera, playing Terry McCaleb, who is an F.B.I. Profiler working on the case of the Code Killer. Literally on the heels of the serial killer, McCaleb suffers a massive heart attack, but still manages to put a bullet in the fleeing suspect. We then jump ahead two years to a point where McCaleb is retired and ending his second month with a new heart. Then Graciella Rivers (Wanda De Jesus) shows up at boat and says she wants him to investigate the murder of her sister. McCaleb declines, since he is retired from the force and recovering from a heart transplant, but Graciella trumps his objections by telling him that it is her sister's heart that is now beating in his chest. McCaleb feels obligated to investigate, even though it means stepping on the toes of the local cops (Paul Rodriguez and Dyaln Walsh as the unfriendly cops and Jaye Winston as the helpful one).

McCaleb is not well; we know this because everybody constantly tells him as much and his doctor (Anjelica Huston) has a fit every time he even spends time thinking hard. But McCaleb has a debt to repay, and as he investigates the murder he, of course, uncovers things that none of the other cops are picking up on. I know exactly what I want to say about this type of thriller, but even announcing in general terms what is happening here would give the game away. I caught on about five minutes before McCaleb did and while I liked the revelation of what exactly had been done and why, I have to admit the film is all downhill by that point. From there on "Blood Work" is less about McCaleb using his brains and more being able to do what needs to be done to bring down the villain before he needs another heart transplant.

Clint Eastwood is in his seventies now and is deservedly up for an Oscar nomination for his work as director on "Mystic River." I have much less of a sense of Eastwood the director on this 2002 film, but mainly because Eastwood the actor is more noticeable. When you look back on the films in which Eastwood has acted in the past few years ("Space Cowboys," "True Crime," "Absolute Power") it becomes clear that that he is cognizant of his age and consciously making films suitable to a man his age. That is not meant as a slight, because most actors his age are not still running around at all, let alone as leading men in theatrical films.

The only persons that come to mind from my lifetime would be Spencer Tracy, who was 67 when he died after making "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," and John Wayne, whose last film, "The Shootist," was really the only one that showed him as a figure in decline before his death at the age of 72. You would think the better comparison would be to Wayne, given Eastwood's history with the western, but it was Tracy who had four Oscar nominated performances in his last decade, playing older men (add "The Old Man and the Sea," "Inherit the Wind" and "Judgment at Nuremberg" to the aforementioned film). Eastwood has only received one acting nomination, for "Unforgiven," yet he is carving out a body of work as an older leading man. Paul Newman has been doing mostly supporting roles since he finally won his long-overdue Oscar. Only Clint Eastwood has really been making a lot of movies, a list to which "Blood Work" gets added, about an old guy trying to hang on to his Alpha-male role.

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