classicsoncall Right out of the gate, you have to accept the premise of this film if you want to afford it any kind of credibility. It's a fairly compelling story right up until the point where we find out that Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) is the President of the United States. The same President who accompanies the wife of an important political backer to her home for the purpose of carrying on an extramarital affair. I mean really, what President would have the wherewithal to conduct a private liaison like that when virtually every minute of his day is scheduled and recorded? Who did Hackman think he is, Bill Clinton?Now if you removed the character of the President as villain, this would have worked a whole lot better. Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) could have found himself in the same series of predicaments and it would have appeared a lot more credible. There was however his relationship with daughter Kate (Laura Linney) that suggested a question mark for this viewer. With Kate admitting she wanted nothing to do with her father, and hadn't seen him in a year before he made contact again, how was it that she happened to have his phone number handy? Not saying it was impossible, but her face to face denunciation of Luther seemed to suggest that she would have kept him entirely at arm's length with no intention of ever communicating with him.I thought the ending was just a bit too stand pat as well. In his press conference, Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall) claims that the despondent President committed suicide by stabbing himself!!! With no witnesses!!! In a closed room with only the two of them face to face!!! And there didn't seem to be a hint of suspicion by anyone about the credibility of that story. Best thing folks, is to leave your brain at the door with this one and just roll with the action. It's actually not as bad as the way I made it sound here, but you have to suspend disbelief in a major way on the way to the finish line.

rdoyle29 Eastwood stars as an aging thief that breaks into a mansion to steal from a safe, and accidentally witnesses President Gene Hackman engaging in rough sex with a woman that the Secret Service end up killing. White House Chief of Staff Judy Davis tries to disguise the crime scene as a robbery, but Eastwood makes off with a key piece of evidence. The whole thing plays out like a very silly thriller with Eastwood dodging the Secret Service and investigating detective Ed Harris while simultaneously trying to reconcile with estranged daughter Laura Linney. This is a pretty dumb film that happens to have a fairly amazing cast (Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, E.G. Marshall and Richard Jenkins also show up), probably because of Eastwood's involvement. They don't manage to make the ridiculous plot any better, but they make the film more watchable than it has any right to be.

seymourblack-1 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.

Python Hyena Absolute Power (1997): Dir: Clint Eastwood / Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis: Intriguing setup has a murder witnessed through a looking glass. The title can refer to the President who is guilty of a crime or the thief who witnessed it. Clint Eastwood stars as a thief who does drawings of the places he plans to rob. He lifts priceless items before hearing footfall so he ducks behind a two-way mirror. The President and a young woman enter and get intimate. After a struggle, two secret service men storm in and shoot her dead. The chief of staff constructs a plan to avoid conspiracy but they overlook the letter opener used by the victim, which the thief escapes with. Eastwood directs advocating brains over brawn in the solution. Humor is presented when he dons disguises and investigates. Gene Hackman is well cast as President whose victim was the daughter of a billionaire. Eastwood will toy with their paranoia until he meets his down fall. Ed Harris is superb as a cop who doesn't suspect the thief of murder and doesn't realize that his office phone has been bugged. Laura Linney provides an emotional centre as Eastwood's daughter who assists police and becomes a target. Judy Davis is effective as the scheming chief of staff. Theme regards corrupt lifestyles and a desire to revert even when his nature refuses. Score: 10 / 10