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Blood Work (2002)

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Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 149
Fresh: 79 | Rotten: 70

Blood Work is a routine, but competently made thriller marred by lethargic pacing.

Average Rating: 6.3/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 10

Blood Work is a routine, but competently made thriller marred by lethargic pacing.

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Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 20,211

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Movie Info

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

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

Written By: Brian Helgeland, Michael Connelly

In Theaters: Aug 9, 2002 Wide

On DVD: Dec 27, 2002

Box Office:$26.1M

Warner Bros. Pictures

Blood Work Trailer & Photos

More Photos (16)

Cast

Clint Eastwood
Terry McCaleb
Jeff Daniels
Buddy Noone
Anjelica Huston
Dr. Bonnie Fox
Wanda De Jesus
Graciella Rivers
Tina Lifford
Det. Jaye Winston
Paul Rodriguez
Ronaldo Arrango
Dylan Walsh
Detective John Waller
Mason Lucero
Raymond
Gerry Becker
Mr. Toliver
Rick Hoffman
James Lockridge
Alix Koromzay
Mrs. Cordell
Igor Jijikine
Bolotov
Dina Eastwood
Reporter #1
Beverly Leech
Reporter #2
June Kyoko Lu
Mrs. Kang
Chao Li Chi
Mr. Kang
Glenn Morshower
Captain
Robert Harvey
Restaurant Manager
Matt Huffman
Young Detective
Mark Thomason
James Cordell
Maria Quiban
Gloria Torres
Brent Hinkley
Cab Driver
Natalia Ongaro
Receptionist
Amanda Carlin
Office Manager
Ted Rooney
Forensics #1
Craig Hoskins
Helicopter Pilot
P.J. Byrne
Forensics #2
Sam Jaeger
Deputy
Derric Nugent
L.A.P.D. Officer
Craig Hosking
James W. Gavin
Helicopter Pilot

Critic Reviews for Blood Work

All Critics (151) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (83) | Rotten (71) | DVD (31)

It's mostly a pro forma police procedural spiced by a baroque twist that Eastwood doesn't really know what to do with.

September 26, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Magazine

| Comment

Peter Rainer

New York Magazine

Top Critic

It doesn't sound bad...but Bloodwork is bad, oh, lordy, yes, it is.

August 20, 2002 Comment (1)

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Top Critic

It can be argued, I suppose, that Blood Work was designed from the outset not so much as a whodunit as a why-and-how-dunit, and here the film becomes metaphysically ingenious.

August 16, 2002 Comment

Andrew Sarris

New York Observer

Top Critic

Even as it ends in a flurry of absurd plot twists, Blood Work holds you in a vise.

August 11, 2002 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

| Comment

Wesley Morris

Boston Globe

Top Critic

It's always nice to see Clint.

August 9, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Top Critic

The actors manage to make it all seem plausible enough.

August 9, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

Top Critic

Disappointing, predictable, and graphic.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

The pivotal teaser is a numerical code that baffles experts but gets cracked in one curious gaze by a schoolboy.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review

| Comment

Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

Eastwood's sharpest filmmaking since the gig that won him an Oscar.

July 23, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comment

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

Master filmmaker Clint Eastwood continues in the classic Howard Hawks/John Ford tradition with unobtrustive direction, relaxed pacing, and strong characters and storytelling.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Typically for Eastwood, there are modest touches to savor.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

The movie could have used a heart transplant of its own, for its ultimate undoing is its minuscule, phoned-in energy level.

January 7, 2005 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

If you like genre films, Blood Work will not disappoint.

October 7, 2004 Full Review Source: tonymedley.com

| Comment

Tony Medley

tonymedley.com Source: tonymedley.com

The talent just isn't there to raise the level of this film past television drama.

February 1, 2004 Full Review Source: FilmStew.com

| Comment

Charlie Brown

FilmStew.com Source: FilmStew.com

It's still fun to watch [Eastwood] chase the bad guys, and he still has that indescribable aura about him.

January 6, 2004 Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

| Comment

Greg Maki

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Very silly: sometimes almost enjoyably so, often just in a tired way.

June 20, 2003 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

| Comment

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Blood Work is a lot like a well-made PB & J sandwich: familiar, fairly uneventful and boasting no real surprises - but still quite tasty and inviting all the same.

February 25, 2003 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comment

Scott Weinberg

eFilmCritic.com

I'm sorry, the guy may be tough, or good-looking, or a respected Hollywood elder, but CLINT EASTWOOD IS NOT A VERY GOOD ACTOR. There, I said it.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online

| Comments (3)

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

Eastwood should spend the next five years gargling to get rid of the taste.

January 16, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

| Comment

Harry Guerin

RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

The murder mystery develops in engaging fashion, but disappointment comes when Blood Work intermittently leaves its clever roots to honor dull Hollywood conventions.

January 10, 2003 Comment

Forrest Hartman

Reno Gazette-Journal Source: Reno Gazette-Journal

Clint still has presence, but he now looks very elderly, with stunt doubles to do fights and running and, for all I know, walking and breathing too.

January 6, 2003 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

| Comment

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Blood Work

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Terry McCaleb: Remember how you said I was your friend, and I could tell you the truth? Well I don't need you at all.�"He's a heartbeat away from catching the killer"Blood Work gets a lot of shit and it is easy to see why. This is a predictable and lazy thriller from Eastwood. The plot is interesting enough to make it

December 30, 2011

Melvin White

Super Reviewer

A run of the mill procedural cop/serial killer movie. The low rating is because of how low on surprises this was. Honestly, it was ridiculously easy to solve. If I'm watching a film about an FBI profiler I shouldn't be 1 hour ahead of him. I worked out the plan, the motive, and the killer within the first 45 minutes.

August 12, 2011

Luke Baldock

Super Reviewer

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