neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Blood Work
	Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesús, Paul Rodriguez, Anjelica Huston, Tina Lifford, Dylan Walsh 2002		Although it smacks of the sort of pic that Clint Eastwood has been doing for ages, "Blood Work" gives his inevitably indomitable hero a little more frailty and vulnerability. It's no reach to have the rangy hunk o' human rawhide play Terry McCaleb, a retired FBI detective facing his own mortality while being backed into unraveling one last case. It seems mandated that Clint take on this type of role. But here, his character's mortality is as much the issue as the murder mystery he must solve. McCaleb's investigation is the key to bringing his bête noire, a serial killer, to justice. Plus, the most recent victim has a very personal connection to McCabe that he learns about when he's approached by the late woman's grieving sister. Now, he's compelled to find the killer while grappling with physical limitations that could take him out of the hunt permanently. The script is sound, even with its predictable twists; so is the cast, led by Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesús, Paul Rodriguez and Anjelica Huston; and Clint directs it all with great competence.