Absolute Power (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Absolute Power' is an entertaining thriller, directed by Clint Eastwood. Luther Whitney (Eastwood) is a career master thief; as he is only 1 of 6 people who can overcome the Sullivan mansion's alarm system. And this is to be his final 'job'. Once inside, he finds the master bedroom, locates the hidden vault, & starts filling his bag with jewelry and $$. But Luther is not where he should be, & sees what he shouldn't see. Just as he's finishing the robbery, the young wife of the house (Melora Hardin) arrives home with a man at her side. Luther is forced to hide in said vault, behind a one-way mirror {love it!}. What he witnesses next not only stuns him, but eventually makes him the target of a hit man, the Secret Service, & Washington D.C. authorities. You see, Christy Sullivan's drunk male friend is none other than Alan J. Richmond (Gene Hackman) ... the Pres. of the United States!
And after some rough foreplay turns into unwanted abuse, she tries to stab him, he calls for his secret service agents, they shoot her dead, & a cover-up gets underway; run by his Chief of Staff, Gloria Russell (Judy Davis). Luther watches all of this, comes out when they leave, takes the letter opener (she intended to kill the Pres. with), & bolts. The agents see him, but can't catch him ... as of yet. The cops show up to investigate, but find a host of inconsistencies. And it's not long before the detective leading the investigation, Seth Frank (Ed Harris), intuits that Luther was in the house when the crime occurred. But what he doesn't know is if Luther was a mere witness, or an actual participant. Pres. Richmond is a ruthless man, however. And Luther finds himself a marked man - from all corners.
I really enjoyed this film. Truthfully, it's a pretty straightforward, routine thriller. But I find it was exceptionally well executed. That is to say, the setting is great, the tone is wonderfully moody, the acting is top-notch, & the pacing is a strong suit, as well. The writing - aside from preposterousness near the end - is stellar (adapted by William Goldman from a David Baldacci novel). Eastwood takes his time introducing us to the major characters & then properly developing them. Luther is a sad man, really; filled with loss & regret. Clint makes us pull for him amid the craziness of the plot. Gene Hackman is appropriately loathsome (& corrupt). Judy Davis, an Australian actress whom I love, brings great nervous energy to Gloria.
Dennis Haybert & Scott Glenn provide good support as 2 of the president's secret agents. E.G. Marshall is solid as the extremely rich & extremely old husband of the dead woman. And Laura Linney is excellent as Luther's estranged daughter; who doesn't know whether or not to trust old dad. Her scenes with Clint resonate the most. You know, this isn't a perfect film (not by a long shot). The plot points go a little batsh*t crazy near the end. And maybe it won't hold up as well upon reflection. But overall, though nothing incredibly surprising (narratively) occurs, & though most of the fun is getting to the end, rather than the end itself ... this is a great little winter drama. Cat-&-mousy, engrossing, clever, & taut.
And after some rough foreplay turns into unwanted abuse, she tries to stab him, he calls for his secret service agents, they shoot her dead, & a cover-up gets underway; run by his Chief of Staff, Gloria Russell (Judy Davis). Luther watches all of this, comes out when they leave, takes the letter opener (she intended to kill the Pres. with), & bolts. The agents see him, but can't catch him ... as of yet. The cops show up to investigate, but find a host of inconsistencies. And it's not long before the detective leading the investigation, Seth Frank (Ed Harris), intuits that Luther was in the house when the crime occurred. But what he doesn't know is if Luther was a mere witness, or an actual participant. Pres. Richmond is a ruthless man, however. And Luther finds himself a marked man - from all corners.
I really enjoyed this film. Truthfully, it's a pretty straightforward, routine thriller. But I find it was exceptionally well executed. That is to say, the setting is great, the tone is wonderfully moody, the acting is top-notch, & the pacing is a strong suit, as well. The writing - aside from preposterousness near the end - is stellar (adapted by William Goldman from a David Baldacci novel). Eastwood takes his time introducing us to the major characters & then properly developing them. Luther is a sad man, really; filled with loss & regret. Clint makes us pull for him amid the craziness of the plot. Gene Hackman is appropriately loathsome (& corrupt). Judy Davis, an Australian actress whom I love, brings great nervous energy to Gloria.
Dennis Haybert & Scott Glenn provide good support as 2 of the president's secret agents. E.G. Marshall is solid as the extremely rich & extremely old husband of the dead woman. And Laura Linney is excellent as Luther's estranged daughter; who doesn't know whether or not to trust old dad. Her scenes with Clint resonate the most. You know, this isn't a perfect film (not by a long shot). The plot points go a little batsh*t crazy near the end. And maybe it won't hold up as well upon reflection. But overall, though nothing incredibly surprising (narratively) occurs, & though most of the fun is getting to the end, rather than the end itself ... this is a great little winter drama. Cat-&-mousy, engrossing, clever, & taut.