Blood Work film review

certificate_15

BLOOD WORK

Clint Eastwood's meticulous and pedestrian directorial style is a major thorn in the side of this adaptation of Michael Connelly's bestseller.

On the page, Blood Work moves at a considerable lick, with a number of hairpin twists to propel the reader forward; on the screen, the story quickly runs out of puff, much like its aging leading man. The main suspense comes not from whether the cops will solve the crime and catch the killer, but whether Eastwood can stay the distance.

Two years after he suffered a heart attack while chasing the notorious Code Killer, FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Eastwood) reluctantly comes out of retirement to aid waitress Graciella Rivers (Wanda De Jesus). Her sister, Gloria (Maria Quiban), died in a convenience store hold-up and the cops have no suspects and no leads to the killer's identity. Graciella lures Terry to the case with the revelation that the donor of his new heart was, in fact, Gloria.

True enough, Terry takes the case on an informal basis. His doctor (Anjelica Huston) warns that excessive stress and physical exertion could be fatal, and demands Terry give up the case for the sake of his own health. He refuses and consequently hires neighbour Buddy Noone (Jeff Daniels) to work as his assistant, driving him to and from the crime scene. In the process, Terry joins forces once more with former protege Jaye Winston (Tina Lifford), who has been promoted to Detective at her Los Angeles precinct. He also manages to ruffle the feathers of detectives Arrango (Paul Rodriguez) and Waller (Dylan Walsh), who are both frustrated by their lack of progress in the case.

As more evidence slowly comes to light, Terry realises with horror that he has stumbled unwittingly back into the Code Killer case.

Blood Work remains faithful to Connelly's novel, but fails to make the same dramatic impact. Eastwood plays his wounded hero with a world-weariness that is sometimes exhausting to watch, and there is scant sexual chemistry with De Jesus, which reduces the effectiveness of the dramatic climax. Huston and Daniels are strong in support in underwritten roles.