Absolute Power *** (1997, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Judy Davis, Laura Linney) – Classic Movie Review 1,829

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

The improbable but fairly exciting 1997 thriller film Absolute Power stars Clint Eastwood as a veteran career thief who witnesses a horrific crime involving the US President (Gene Hackman).

The improbable but modestly good and moderately exciting 1997 American political action thriller film Absolute Power stars a usefully employed Clint Eastwood as a veteran career thief named Luther Whitney, who witnesses a horrific crime involving the US President.

Whitney is a veteran burglar, a master jewel thief, who breaks into the Washington DC mansion of an elderly millionaire named Walter Sullivan (E G Marshall). Whitney inadvertently witnesses a killing from his hiding-place in the bedroom when Sullivan’s young wife Christy (Melora Hardin) enters with her lover, US President Allen Richmond (Gene Hackman).

[Spoiler alert] Shockingly, rough sex lover Richmond starts slapping Christy and she slaps him back but the sex session goes wrong when she attempts to stab him with a letter-opener. Richmond calls for help and his Secret Service bodyguards burst into the room and open fire, killing Christy. It’s a brilliantly compelling opening sequence, getting things off to a mesmerising start.

The Chief of Staff Gloria Russell (Judy Davis) immediately organises a cover-up. And when the President’s staff realise that Whitney is a witness to the killing, he is forced to go on the run – but the Secret Service is determined to keep him quiet.

Screenplay writer William Goldman does his usual sterling job of adapting David Baldacci’s 1996 novel, though it might have been a struggle as he had to work on several drafts of the screenplay for a year. 

Eastwood directs conscientiously but anonymously, encouraging strong acting performances, and produces efficiently and smoothly. Eastwood, Hackman, Ed Harris as the police chief investigating Christy’s killing and Laura Linney as Eastwood’s daughter are all very good value, showing their class. It is also the last film of E G.Marshall. 

It was filmed from June to August 1996 on Washington DC locations that include the apartment of the author and journalist Christopher Hitchens.

The museum scenes are filmed in the Walters Art Museum (Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland) where Whitney is copying the El Greco painting Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata.

Eastwood liked the novel’s plot and the characters, but thought it killed off most of the interesting characters, so asked Goldman ensure that ‘everyone the audience likes doesn’t get killed off’. Columbia Pictures paid a high $5 million for the rights to the novel and hired Goldman in late 1994, who worked on it in 1995, though the book was not published till 1996.

Lord Acton’s dictum is: ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’,

The cast

The cast are Clint Eastwood as Luther Whitney, Gene Hackman as President Alan Richmond, Ed Harris as Seth Frank, Laura Linney as Kate Whitney, Scott Glenn as Bill Burton, Dennis Haysbert as Tim Collin, Judy Davis as Gloria Russell, E G Marshall as Walter Sullivan, Melora Hardin as Christy Sullivan, Kenneth Welsh as Sandy Lord Penny Johnson as Laura Simon, Richard Jenkins as Michael McCarty, Mark Margolis as Red Brandsford, and Alison Eastwood as art student.

Eastwood and Hackman also previously worked together on Unforgiven  (1912).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1,829

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