Absolute Power (1997)

Really Surprised!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Brilliant and touching

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Available on Blu-ray Disc (Region B)USA 1996 English (Colour); Thriller/Drama (Castle Rock/Malpaso); 121 minutes (15 certificate)Crew includes: Clint Eastwood (Director); William Goldman (Screenwriter, adapting Novel by David Baldacci **** [8/10]); Clint Eastwood, Karen Spiegel (Producers); Tom Rooker (Executive Producer); Jack N. Green (Cinematographer); Henry Bumstead (Production Designer); Joel Cox (Editor); Lennie Niehaus (Composer)Cast includes: Clint Eastwood (Luther Whitney), Gene Hackman (President Alan Richmond), Ed Harris (Seth Frank), Laura Linney (Kate Whitney), Scott Glenn (Bill Burton), Dennis Haysbert (Tim Collin), Judy Davis (Gloria Russell), E.G. Marshall (Walter Sullivan)"Corrupts absolutely."Whilst robbing a philanthropic billionaire's mansion, an ageing career thief (Eastwood) secretly witnesses a drunken sexual assault, shooting and organised cover-up involving the US President (Hackman), and must subsequently evade capture by the police, assassination by the president's aides, and somehow prove his innocence having himself become the prime murder suspect.Goldman's unhurried, pared-down adaptation of Baldacci's engrossing bestseller neglects the novel's protagonist in favour of Eastwood's charismatic jewel thief, turning this cat-and-mouse political thriller into an engaging star vehicle for the film's producer/director.The first-rate supporting cast includes Harris as the empathetic cop on the case, Linney as Eastwood's estranged daughter, and Davis as Hackman's volatile chief of staff.Blu-ray Extras: None. ½ (1/10)

The opening scenes of this classy thriller are so gripping that watching the rest of the action becomes totally irresistible. A cat burglar witnesses a murder in highly unusual circumstances and then has to go on the run to escape those who want to make him the fall guy for the crime. The fact that his pursuers are intent on assassinating him, then turns his already dangerous mission into a desperate race against time.Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) is the veteran thief who, for the last heist of his career, breaks into the mansion owned by political power broker Walter Sullivan (E.G.Marshall) when he and his family are apparently away on a short vacation. After making his way to the vault that adjoins the main bedroom, Luther steals large amounts of jewellery and cash but then suddenly has to stop when he hears people heading in the direction of the bedroom. Hidden in the vault, Luther watches silently through a two-way mirror as the President of the United States, Allen Richmond (Gene Hackman) and Walter Sullivan's much younger wife, Christy (Melora Hardin) enter the bedroom and start indulging in some sexual foreplay. The exchanges between the drunken couple quickly turn violent and when Christy stabs Richmond in the arm with a letter-opener, a couple of Secret Service agents rush into the room and shoot Christy dead.White House Chief of Staff, Gloria Russell (Judy Davis) arrives on the scene and organises a cover-up to make it look as if Christy had been killed by a burglar and shortly after, Luther makes his escape with his loot and the letter-opener. In the days that follow, Luther changes his original plan to leave the country and becomes determined to bring the President to justice. Some complications develop, however, as his estranged daughter, Kate (Laura Linney) who's a prosecuting attorney and Detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris) cooperate to search for evidence and both the Secret Service and Walter Sullivan attempt to have him killed.By using his trump card (the letter-opener with the President's fingerprints and blood on it), Luther then tries to trigger a sequence of events that he hopes will lead to the President ultimately being made accountable for his role in Christy's murder.The pacing of this movie is masterful as it contributes both to the tension that's such a strong feature of what happens as well as being conducive to developing the relationships between the story's interesting characters. Clint Eastwood's direction is also impressive, especially during the opening scenes and in a later sequence where Luther meets his daughter at a café in very dangerous circumstances."Absolute Power" is a fine adaptation of the best selling novel of the same name by David Baldacci and features a terrific cast of top actors who all contribute very good performances. A scene in which Detective Frank talks very affably to the man he suspects of carrying out the heist at Sullivan's mansion is a real highlight, as Ed Harris makes his comments so loaded and Clint Eastwood responds in the same style. Judy Davis also adds a lot of humour as the Chief of Staff who's in charge but not in control. Her eccentricities and constant state of panic add a more sympathetic dimension to her amoral character whilst also adding an effective counterpoint to the high level of tension that runs right through this entertaining thriller.

When expert thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) breaks into the luxurious mansion of a politically influential billionaire (E.G. Marshall) , he is surprised by the arrival of a couple (Gene Hackman , Melora Hardin) . After their drunken shenanigans turn nasty that leads to crime and taking place a set-up in which everyone around him is involved . There is only one witness , an ultra-secretive master burglar . Luther is soon pursued by two cops (Ed Harris , Penny Johnson) , a hit man (Richard Jenkins) and the President security guards (Dennys Haysbert , Scott Glenn). This is a light thriller in Hitchcockian style including action , suspense , thrills , improbable events and twisted intrigue . It is about the ruthlessness of people in power but the plot lacks even a political analysis or comment . This Eastwood film is solid but nothing really stick out . It is hard to take against contemporary time , as portraying a coward , cynical , traitor President , being politically incorrect for Hollywood standards . In addition , it contains some unlikely scenes as when the silly dancing between President/Gene Hackman and his cabinet chief/Judy Davis who wears a robbed necklace . Based on the novel by David Baldacci , being screen-writer the notorious William Goldman , who wrote such important successes as Marathon man , Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid , All the President's Men , The princess bride , Misery , among others . This Absolute power (1997) was well-received as well as the subsequently shot Space Cowboys ; however , both of them don't rank with Clint's best jobs as actor/filmmaker . Adequate Clint Eastwood in his ordinary stoic acting as a professional burglar who witnesses both a crime and a cover-up . Nice acting by Gene Hackman as a philander President believes that everything he does is beyond reproach . Support cast is frankly well such as Laura Linney , Melora Hardin , Kenneth Welsh , Mark Margolis, Penny Johnson , Richard Jenkins and cameo of Alison Eastwood , Clint's daughter . Furthermore , the picture displays an atmospheric and sensitive musical score by means of piano composed and performed by Lennie Niehaus , Eastwood's usual . Colorful cinematography by Jack N. Green filmed on location in Washington and Los Angeles . The film was professionally performed and directed by Clint Eastwood . It has some flaws and gaps ; but it's nevertheless solidly agreeable . The picture is far from his other big hits such as his first directed western , Unforgiven (1992) also with Gene Hackman , which garnered him an Oscar for Best Director, and a nomination for Best Actor . Then he took on the secret service in Open fire (1993), which was a success , followed by the interesting but poorly received drama , A perfect world (1993), with Kevin Costner as a thief . Next up was a love story , Bridges of Madison (1995), which was yet again a hit . Subsequent pictures were enjoyable but nothing to do with previous works . Among them were the and the badly received True crime (1999) and Blood work (2002) . Then in 2004, Eastwood surprised yet again when he produced, directed and starred in Million Dollar Baby (2004). The movie earned Eastwood an Oscar for Best Director and a Best Actor nomination for the second time . He had other successes directing the multi-award-winning films Mystic River (2003), Flags of our fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), and The changeling (2008) . After a four-year hiatus from acting, Eastwood's return to the screen in the successful Gran Torino (2008) .

This review is going to contain spoilers as I want to show some oddities in the plot. I have not read the book on which it is based so I cannot comment on whether or not these oddities came from the author David Baldacci.This film was released on Clint Eastwood's 67th birthday. He directs, produces and stars in this slow-paced crime movie. Eastwood plays Luther Whitney, a cat burglar (at 67!) who targets the home of billionaire industrialist Walter Sullivan (E. G. Marshall). While in mid-burglary, none other than the President of the United States (convincingly played by fellow 67-year old Gene Hackman) enters the room with Sullivan's wife (Melora Hardin).Whitney hides in the vault, which conveniently has a two-way mirror (why?), and witnesses the woman being killed by the secret service as she was about to stab the President with a knife. The Chief of Staff (Judy Davis) concocts a plan to cover up the incident. Unfortunately Whitney has witnessed the whole thing and has the knife.Carrying a pack filled with jewels and cash Whitney manages to outrun the two trained secret service agents through a forest despite them being half his age, armed and equipped with night vision goggles.Seth Frank (Ed Harris), the police investigator, decides there are only six guys in the entire world that could pull off that theft and one of them lives right here! If only police investigation really worked like that! Frank and Whitney then have a very civil chat over a nice lunch.Whitney then decides to taunt the President by turning up in a hat and a fake beard to a guided tour of the White House and leaving a photo of the knife. Why? Whitney's daughter Kate (Laura Linney) (now remember he is a cat burglar) is a high-flying prosecutor. That makes sense. So Frank persuades her to set up her dad and bring him in. She agrees. Again we don't know why.In a hotel room of some sort with a big window a sniper is building his rifle from a kit (the Secret Service man is simultaneously building his click-together gun too). This is in a public place, in daylight! Whitney turns up in the least convincing disguise ever (not even a fake beard, just a hat and coat). They are shot at by the two gunmen with state of the art equipment (we have just seen them shooting perfectly at a rifle range) and they both miss!.Now events turn really weird. Frank rescues Kate and starts flirting with her. You might think she would be a little upset that he nearly got them both killed but the beautiful, successful lawyer invites the small, balding cop (the actors are 14 years apart in age) into her flat and flirts back! There's a weird set-up by Whitney (now disguised using a moustache), a necklace, the Chief of Staff and the President, where the President learns of the cover-up. The President then sends the Secret Service guys to kill Kate. They follow her until she parks her car at the edge of a cliff, push her car over the cliff and drive away. At the same time Whitney has found out that the Secret Service is taking over surveillance of his daughter, so he speeds across the city from a phone booth in the middle of who knows where, screeching his tyres and blowing his horn repeatedly through traffic to arrive at the same spot where she has just been pushed over the cliff. How did he know she would be there? At no time, did he see his daughter's car or talk to his daughter. She survives. When the Secret Service then try to kill her in the hospital, Whitney again arrives there at the perfect time and kills the Secret Service guy.Whitney then poses as Sullivan's driver (how?) in order to talk to him and tell him the truth and present him with the knife. Sullivan believes him and walks in to the President (through all the security) with the knife in his hand. The President then commits suicide, apparently.What stops the film from being a complete turkey is the competence of its cast. There are several actors for whom it is worth watching this film. The score and the direction is fine. Just a shame the plot is absolute rubbish.