Written by Michael Connelly(novel) and Brian Helgeland(screenplay) and directed by Clint Eastwood, "Blood Work" is the latest film from Eastwood's production company Malpaso Productions. "Blood Work" is Eastwood's attempt to return to his "Dirty Harry" roots.

"Blood Work" begins as a helicopter surveys a huge crime scene. Several police cars are parked in front of an apartment building. Two LA Police Detectives step out onto the front stoop just as a sedan pulls up at the yellow, police, crime scene tape. One of the detectives, a Mexican-American(Paul Rodriequez), snorts that the "glory hound" was there. The car door opens and an older man(Clint Eastwood) steps out. The two detectives, identified as Arrango(Rodriequez) and Waller(Dylan Walsh) take the man, now identified as FBI Profiler Terry McCaleb(Eastwood) through the crime scene. Arrango dislikes McCable and makes it apparent by spewing sarcastic remarks about the victims and McCable's ability.

Arrango remarks that the killer is being nicknamed "Chuck Taylor" after the Stanford basketball coach. One of the specific clues at the scene are messages directed directly at McCable. McCable scans the scene paying specific attention to the shoe prints tracking blood through the apartment. Afterwards McCable exits the building to a barrage of questions by the press. As he looks down and away from the lights he sees a pair of feet with canvas shoes. Blood is splattered across the front. McCable gives chase, eventually chasing the man into an alley. McCable nearly catches him as he jumps up onto a chain-link fence, but is halted by an excruciating pain in his chest. He slumps to the pavement, breathing heavily. The man realizes he isn't being chase, stops and walks cautiously back towards McCable. Although in pain, McCable pulls his service weapon and fires at the man. The man is hit, but scurries away. McCable is found by the police and taken to the hospital.

Two Years Later

A retired McCable visits his cardiologist, DR. Bonnie Fox(Angelica Huston), who is pleased by his recovery from his recent heart transplant. He returns home to his fishing boat tethered at a nearby marina. His next door neighbor(Jeff Daniels), an admitted sea bum, informs him that someone is on his boat. McCable finds a Mexican-American woman on the bow looking out into the bay. She introduces herself as Graciella Rivers(Wanda DE Jesus). She wants McCable to look into the murder of her sister Gloria. McCable refuses, insisting that he is retired. Rivers counters that she knows he would be interested, because Gloria was killed the same day McCable received his heart. To convince him further, Rivers introduces McCable to Gloria's son Raymond(Mason Lucero). Left with no choice, McCable agrees to look into the case.

The rest of the story involves McCable tracking down the clues to Gloria's murder, assisted by an LA County Sheriff Department friend, Jaye Winston(Tina Lifford) and his neighbor, Buddy(McDaniels). In the process he discovers that Gloria's murder is tied to another murder. A man called Cordell was murdered in front of an ATM machine two weeks prior to Gloria's murder. Cordell was found a few minutes later by a man called Lockridge(Rick Hoffman) who complained to the police that the ambulance drove right on by and that is why Cordell died in the ambulance. McCable discovers that Gloria had the same special blood type as he did.

McCable follows the evidence to a Russian-American thug, Bolotov, who runs when confronted about stolen pistols. They eventually finds Bolotov dead. McCable begins to believe that Cordell had the same blood type as well. He and Winston go to his cardiologist and she copies a report that verifies his suspicions. This brings up the question, "How would the murderer know this?" This takes McCable and Winston back to Lockridge, a computer expert. He has not been to work in two days and they find Lockridge dead. The case is finally broken when Raymond realizes that the numerical codes that were left by the killer two years ago had no "1's" in them. McCable realizes that, his neighbor, Buddy Noone is the killer because when Noone is separated is spells "No-One." By this time, Buddy has Graciella and Raymond captive on an old ship that had been grounded. McCable forces Buddy to take him there and a fire fight ensues. Buddy is eventually wounded by McCable and McCable prepares to arrest him. Buddy who is near a large mud puddle tries to get up and is stopped by Graciella, who forces his head under the water where he is drowned.

The final answer to the mystery lay in the excitement and fun Buddy had enjoyed when McCable had been chasing him. When McCable had his heart attack, Buddy enlisted Lockridge to steal the information and Bolotov to steal the pistol needed for the job. He killed them both, cleaning up the evidence as he went. Buddy wanted to continue the chase they had enjoyed before, by providing McCable a new heart, hence the murders.

This viewer found this film extremely predictable, it probably would be more comfortable on the TV screen, but that is not to say this was a bad film. This viewer suspected Buddy as the killer when McCable enlisted his aide in the investigation. It was good to see Clint Eastwood back on the screen returning to the image of "Dirty Harry," though this viewer doesn't feel that this film had the edge the "Dirty Harry" movies had. Jeff Daniels, as the insane Buddy, was fun to watch and gave this viewer the impression that Daniels was thoroughly enjoying himself. Wanda DE Jesus and Tina Lifford offered strong, intelligent support as Graciella and Winston. The one role, this viewer believes was cast wrongly was Paul Rodriequez as the obnoxious Arrango. Rodriequez has a wonderful reputation as a comedian and the character seemed forced. Sadly, Huston wasn't on the screen long enough for the audience to enjoy her abilities.

The scenes of the California seashore were wonderful and could be used as postcards to those who might want to take a vacation there.

Although predictable, this viewer enjoyed this film and believes Eastwood fans will enjoy it as well.