"Blood Work" came as a complete surprise to me. I'd never heard of the film and the ratings on IMDb are mediocre. Yet, I thought it was a terrific film.

When I talk about the movie, it is VERY important to point out that I cannot talk about the plot too much as it would be bound to reveal too much about the story. After all, it's a mystery/suspense film and where would the suspense be if I talked about the serial killer or their motives? Suffice to say that it is pretty original...and pretty weird (but in a good way).

This is what I feel I can say about the plot. An FBI profiler (Clint Eastwood) is great at his job but he has a huge problem...his heart. It's so bad that he's forced to retire and get a transplant...and the film is about him being pulled back into profiling in order to solve the murder...the murder of the person whose heart he now has inside! There is so much more to it than that....trust me.

Overall, this is a super-original story, filled with excitement and suspense. The only thing I didn't like was how angry some of the cops were when Eastwood's character tried to help them with a case which was completely stalled. You'd THINK they'd welcome some expert help!! Still, despite this cliché, it's an amazingly good picture.

Blood Work casts Clint Eastwood once again with law enforcement although Clint is bowing to age and reality in this film. He's not Dirty Harry here, in fact he's got a real serious health issue, a really unique one for law enforcement.

While in pursuit of a fleeing felon, FBI profiler Clint suffered a heart attack it was the culmination of some systemic heart problems and he waited for several months for a transplant. When he gets it Wanda DeJesus comes to him with a request that he look into the murder of her sister which the cops have at a low priority, the sister being at the wrong place, wrong time at a convenience store holdup.

Of course with a little investigation Eastwood discovers that that story doesn't fly, the sister's murder is connected with another homicide and the usual jurisdictional police problems prevented law enforcement from seeing the connection. The sister's murder happened within LAPD territory and the other is being investigated by the LA County Sheriff.

Eastwood has history with Paul Rodriguez of the LAPD the detective assigned, but he has better history with Tina Lifford of the LA County Sheriff's office. She's a great help to him working it all out and it's a pretty scary connection all these incidents have with Clint.

I cannot forget the presence of Anjelica Huston who is Clint's cardiologist and worried about the stress this is putting on her transplant patient. Clint is not doing Dirty Harry style action, but still it's a strain for someone 71 with a heart transplant. And Jeff Daniels plays Clint's neighbor on the marina where he lives on his boat and his man Friday for all the small details of his life.

Blood Work is a good thriller and nice to see Clint playing a man who knows his limitations even if he forgets every so often.

FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood) is retired after having a heart attack while chasing a suspect down. He's living on a boat next to friendly neighbor Buddy No one (Jeff Daniels). After his heart transplant, Graciella Rivers (Wanda De Jesus) tells him her sister was killed and he has her heart. McCaleb investigates and finds the killer has killed others before. Detective Ronaldo Arrango (Paul Rodriguez) is downright hostile and with partner Detective John Waller (Dylan Walsh) are leery to help him. Dr. Bonnie Fox (Anjelica Huston) quits as his doctor telling him his heart can't take the work load.

The killer is pretty obvious. The case is pretty much every day TV police procedural. The movie is a little slow and a little long. Clint is good as the old grizzled retired cop with health issues. It's a function murder investigation but nothing that stands out too much.