Blood Work (film)
| Blood Work | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by | Clint Eastwood |
| Screenplay by | Brian Helgeland |
| Based on |
Blood Work by Michael Connelly |
| Starring |
Clint Eastwood Jeff Daniels Anjelica Huston |
| Music by | Lennie Niehaus |
| Cinematography | Tom Stern |
| Edited by | Joel Cox |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[1] |
| Box office | $31,794,718 [2] |
Blood Work is a 2002 American mystery thriller film produced, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood. The film co-stars Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesús, and Anjelica Huston. It is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly.
Eastwood won the Future Film Festival Digital Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Plot
During a homicide investigation, FBI agent Terry McCaleb goes outside to address the media when he spots the killer in the crowd. But the chase ends after McCaleb suffers a heart attack and only manages to wound the killer.
Now retired, he lives in a houseboat on the Long Beach bay. He has been given a second chance at life by receiving the heart of a murder victim. He is approached by a woman named Graciella Rivers, whose sister, Gloria, was killed during a robbery and asks him to solve the case. It gets personal when McCaleb realizes the victim was the woman whose heart was transplanted into him.
McCaleb defies the advice of his physician, Dr. Bonnie Fox, and sets out to find the killer with the help of his neighbor Buddy Noone, who lives on a houseboat near his, and a local police detective, Jaye Winston. It is revealed that Buddy is the killer that McCaleb has been looking for. Buddy wanted McCaleb out of retirement so that he'll be a hero again. He also reveals that he has kidnapped Graciella and her nephew, which ends in a shootout on a fishing boat. After shooting Buddy, his last words to McCaleb: I saved you. McCaleb starts a new life with Graciella and her nephew.
Cast
- Clint Eastwood as Terry McCaleb
- Jeff Daniels as Jasper "Buddy" Noone
- Anjelica Huston as Dr. Bonnie Fox
- Wanda De Jesús as Graciella Rivers
- Tina Lifford as Detective Jaye Winston
- Paul Rodriguez as Detective Ronaldo Arrango
- Dylan Walsh as Detective John Waller
- Rick Hoffman as James Lockridge
- Alix Koromzay as Mrs. Cordell
- Igor Jijikine as Mikhail Bolotov
- Dina Eastwood as Reporter #1
- Beverly Leech as Reporter #2
- Maria Quiban as Gloria Torres
Production
Blood Work was filmed in spring 2002 in both Los Angeles and Long Beach, California in 38 days.[1]
Reception
Blood Work received mixed reviews from critics. It has a score of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus being that it was "a routine, but competently made thriller marred by lethargic pacing". However, A. O. Scott of The New York Times admitted that it was similar to many other of Clint Eastwood's films, thought that "there is something comforting in seeing this old warhorse trot gamely out of the gate for yet another run on familiar turf."[3]
The film was not a box office success, grossing $26.2 million on a budget of $50 million.
References
- 1 2 Hughes, p.185
- ↑ Hughes, p.186
- ↑ Times review (registration required)
External links
- Blood Work at the Internet Movie Database
- Blood Work at AllMovie
- Blood Work at Rotten Tomatoes
- Blood Work at Metacritic
- Blood Work at Box Office Mojo