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.

richard-90509 One of the worst movies I ever saw. Makes no sense. Clint should be ashamed of himself for foisting this on the public. Some other reviewers have itemized a few of the plot holes, and I validate everything they said. No need to repeat the details.

Paul Kydd 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)

slightlymad22 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.