This is the start of last nights viewing. I think because it didn't do well in the American box-office it didn't get played here in NZ. It certainly didn't play in Napier. As much as I'm a Clint Eastwood fan I can honestly say I had not heard of Blood Work before watching it last night. This gives rise to my suspicions that it didn't play here as I would definitely have gone to see it. In short after having watched it I have to say this is not Eastwood's best effort at film making. You do recognise the style, the craftmanship, etc, but it just isn't a good movie. It is far from rubbish but compared to Eastwood's many other outings this one must languish at the bottom. It is hard to define why though.
It is loosely based on a Michael Connelly novel, and I personally consider him a light weight writer. The plot in the movie isn't bad but there are some silly things that don't work. Eastwood gets a heart transplant from a murdered Mexican woman and throughout the movie he has trouble with a Mexican cop which results in a few insults. It may be a movie but to see Eastwood pretend he was part Mexican because of his new heart was just absurd.
This is somewhat a strange movie from Eastwood. He plays an ex -FBI agent who comes across as being very unsure of himself. It just doesn't fit him to play such a role, and I found it difficult to believe in his character. Jeff Daniels stars but there is no real chemistry between him and Eastwood. The film is quite hard to 'get into', but it is still a reasonable watch. I liked it but there is something indefinabley wrong with it. Somehow it feels like a movie Eastwood was reluctant to make or else it was a rush job in between other films.
I find this film hard to critique as I didn't dislike it but it is certainly a disapointing outing from such a very fine film maker. It just isn't of the standard I'd expect from Eastwood and somehow I think that he himself is probably embarrased about this effort. Maybe he needed funds for his next film or some such thing because it has that feel of having no point but as a filler in a film makers calender year. Overall it is fairly unoriginal. It attempts a twist but it was somewhat obvious. The film mirrors Connelly's book as nothing more than an airport, cheap and easy to digest, with little need for thinking.
It is certainly still worth a watch but I wouldn't go rushing out right now to see it. Wait for a really rainy day as it is still very watchable but unremarkable. Eastwood has done far, far better than this!
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