Continuing my plan to watch every Clint Eastwood movie in order I come to Absolute Power (1997)Plot In A Paragraph: Luther Whitney (Eastwood) a career thief witnesses a horrific crime involving the U.S. President (Gene Hackman).At 67, Clint was clearly slowing down now. This was released 2 years after his last movie (The Bridges Of Madison County) and that followed 2 years after A Perfect World. For a man who often released several movies a year, this was quite a change of pace.It's a bit of a mixed bag this one, the disguises (Master of disguise) Clint uses are not very good and some of it's not very logical, but the acting raises it above average. Absolute Power's awesome acting ensemble includes Gene Hackan, Scott Glenn Scott, E.G Marshall (in his last role) and the ever reliable Ed Harris and they are all great. One of the things I noticed rewatching this is how parenting and fatherhood in particular, proved a key theme as in A Perfect World, and like several other Eastwood characters Whitney follows his own personal code. He is a thief, but he has a sense of honour. This is partially what makes him a sympathetic character alongside his good sense of humour and his apparent avoidance of needless violence. Absolute Power was not a box office success. The movie earned a total domestic box office gross of $50 million to end 1997 as the 38th highest grossing movie of the year.

A film like this would be impossible to make in the current year, here's why: Absolute Power makes a sad but true political statement, a statement about corruption, dishonesty and the dark nature that all people have inside of them.This is what we see in Absolute Power. The president of the United States of America is portrayed as a corrupt, criminal person. While the thief, who would be seen as the bad guy in reality is actually the good guy. Corruption is our greatest enemy.This movie couldn't be made today, because nowadays we live in a more sensitive world than we lived in back in 1997 (the year or release). Absolute Power would have no chance of being released due to it's political undertones. Enough about the politics, let's talk a little bit about the movie.This film is not a stand out thriller, but it's not a bad one at all. We have a great cast with Clint Eastwood, my personal favorite actor, Gene Hackman and Ed Harris. They're all doing a fine job, but they're all not even close to their best performances. A thing this movie lacked for me was that big "WOW" moment. There are a few tense scenes scattered across the two hours, but there is no standout moment, action wise or character wise. The only moment that really got me was Luther watching TV at the airport, which was an interesting piece of character development.Absolute Power is a well written movie though, the plot ties together pretty good and it's not as predictable as most thrillers are. A fine movie overall, not highly recommended but if you're interested about political statements in film, then this is a good pick for you.

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

After reading David Baldacci's "Absolute Power", I was really looking forward to seeing the film.However it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the book. No Jack Graham AT ALL, in fact non of the legal team get a mention, which was one of the best bits of the book.The sex/rape/fight/murder scene at the beginning is pathetic! Luther doesn't get killed!!, central to the book story line! Typical American - Hollywood rubbish.If Hollywood feels the American audience cannot or will not take hard, gritty and sometimes not pleasant viewing/story lines, then stop making films, especially ones that ruin great books!! Absolute Power? ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!!