Absolute Power (1997)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

David Baldacci (book)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Corrupts Absolutely.

Plot:

A career thief witnesses a horrific crime involving the U.S. President.

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Murder | Secret Service | Power | Burglar

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Luther Whitney
Gene Hackman	...	President Allen 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
Melora Hardin	...	Christy Sullivan
Kenneth Welsh	...	Sandy Lord (as Ken Welsh)
Penny Johnson	...	Laura Simon
Richard Jenkins	...	Michael McCarty
Mark Margolis	...	Red Brandsford
Elaine Kagan	...	Valerie
Alison Eastwood	...	Art Student

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | Netherlands:12 (TV version) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Belgium:KNT | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #35038)

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Luther at one point says "I *love* True Crime.". Clint Eastwood's next film was True Crime (1999).

Goofs:

Continuity: The headline in the Washington Times reads "Jewel Thief Sought", yet the text of the article is about congressional hearings.

Quotes:

Walter Sullivan: You will wait in Washington, Mr. McCarthy... and I will put one million dollars expenses in a Swiss bank of your choosing... and when the time comes... two million dollars a bullet.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

Soundtrack:

Kate's Theme

An intelligent and provocative thriller

An experienced, charming and perfected thief witnesses the President of The United States killing a young, beautiful girl, during a robbery. Trying to choke the case, professional murderers are contracted to hunt the thief, at the same time in that he tries to prove his innocence and the president's crime. Eastwood is the main character and he also directs this interesting thriller written for the great William Goldman.Even being an excellent film director (what was proven along his career), Eastwood didn't obtain the same success of "Unforgiven", accomplishing a thriller that even counting with touching and tense moments (as the scene in which a murderer tries to kill Eastwood with a rifle),is slow and without any memorable action moments ,what helped to cause the box office failure of the motion picture.The interest for "Absolute Power" is justified by the excellent supporting actors' cast, and among the great performances stands out Laura Linney's work as the Eastwood's daughter, and in this movie, unlike "Truman Show", she has the chance to really play her part in a convincing way and not just to offer big smiles.It's evident that are flaws in the rhythm and that the running time is very long, but "Absolute Power" is sustained due to the charisma of Eastwood and the script that tries to evidence the actors' interpretation, leaving the action in second plan.