Eastwood stars as Terry McCaleb, an FBI agent forced to retire after having a serious heart attack while chasing his nemesis, a serial killer who leaves him messages written in blood at his crime scenes. McCaleb is out of commission for two years until he is able to get a heart transplant. Still frail, two months after his transplant, he is encountered by a woman named Graciella Rivers (Wanda De Jesus), who approaches him to assist with the investigation of her sister's death. He initially is reluctant but then feels an obligation when Graciella informs him that his heart came from her dead sister Gloria, who also had the rare AB blood type Harry does. McCaleb enters the investigation at great risk to his health, against his doctor's orders, and against the wishes of some local police officers because he feels it is not right that he should live as a result of someone else's murder. As he proceeds with the investigation, he is helped by an old police comrade, Jaye Winston (Tina Lifford), and a man named Buddy (Jeff Daniels) who is his neighbor on the marina where Harry lives on his boat. As he gets deeper into the case, he also develops a closer relationship with Graciella and Gloria's son Raymond.
The film is driven by Eastwood's performance. McCaleb is shrewd and tough, but very vulnerable. Eastwood, who has traditionally played an impenetrable, tough-as-nails detective, shows both physical and emotional vulnerability in this role. Eastwood's portrayal of McCaleb shows him to very human and really captures McCaleb's struggle with his health and age as he goes after the killer. A lot of the suspense of Blood Work comes not from figuring out who murdered Gloria or why, but from wondering if McCaleb will be equipped to fight the perpetrator when his identity is revealed, which is a good thing.
The puzzle of the killer's identity and his motives is something most audience members with some degree of intelligence can solve. This is one of the film's best and worst features. It is good because the film is easy to follow and this structure allows the audience to get inside McCaleb's head and figure out the identity of Gloria's killer along with him. It is a film that allows the audience to feel smart. However, the problem is that, unlike with many mystery films, the climax really does not hinge on a sudden plot twist. For most, there will be no element of surprise here. Moreover, because the clues appear so soon in the film (the title itself is a dead giveaway) and are so blatant, it is occasionally frustrating because there are times when the characters are missing something that is obvious to the audience and the audience is left waiting for McCaleb and those assisting him to play catch-up.
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