Reel Matt

This blog started as my movie marathon — watching a movie a day for a whole year — and has continued as a place for me to write reviews about movies, TV, and various other items.

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Blood Work

Film #11

THE PLOT

Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.

Year 1, Day 11

BEFORE: Day two of the Clint Eastwood chain is yet another directing/acting credit on Eastwood’s resume. One of the reasons I chose this specific Eastwood film is it co-stars Jeff Daniels. Daniels stars on one of my favorite new TV shows, Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. He’s doing a fantastic job and I can’t wait to see some of his earlier work.

THE PLOT: 

AFTER: Mysteries can elicit a variety of reactions from a variety of people. Someone could not like a mystery because they know the answer whereas someone who doesn’t know what’s going on remains intrigued and is struck by an ‘Ah-ha’ moment at the end.

Like the characters in the film, I was clueless about what was going on until something was revealed. It was a great mystery with a lot of twists and suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. There were even some scenes throughout the film where I had picked up on some of the clues that were key to solving the murders.

Another testament to why I think this film is so good is the reveal at the end. I had many guesses on who the killer was, and one of my early predictions turned out to be correct. But I kept double-guessing myself as new evidence came up. “No, he/she couldn’t possibly be the killer. The clues don’t add up here,” I would tell myself. It was very similar to The Usual Suspects for me. I had correctly guessed who Keyser Söze was from the first scene but by the end of the film I was convinced there was no way I was right. Then the reveal came, and I was stunned. The reveal in Blood Work isn’t quite as shocking as The Usual Suspects, but the film was very entertaining and kept me guessing for most of the film.

RATING: 5 out of 5