Clint Eastwood has made many movies during the course of his career. I have seen and enjoyed some of those movies. I haven’t been as fond of some of his other movies. Absolute Power is one of Eastwood’s movies that I did enjoy.

Luther Whitney was an older man who lived alone. He was a thief that had spent time in prison when he was younger. He didn’t do anything to draw attention to himself, but he still did jobs from time to time. Walter Sullivan, a very rich older man, and his much younger wife Christy were supposed to be out of town. Luther was in the process of robbing the house when Christy turned up with a man. Luther was able to hide in a walk in vault n the bedroom that was behind a two-way mirror so he saw what was going on. Christy and her friend were a bit tipsy. They were enjoying themselves until the man got a bit rough. Christy didn’t like that. There was a fight and Christy ended up dead. The man with her was Allen Richmond, the President. Two secret service agents, Bill and Tim, were also there and involved in what happened.

Gloria Russell, Allen’s chief of staff, was also at the house. She quickly arrived at the bedroom after the incident and took over. They were going to cover up Allen’s involvement in what happened. Luther remained hidden while they were cleaning up. He was finally able to leave, but not before grabbing a crucial piece of evidence that got left behind by accident. Bill and Tim returned and saw Luther leaving, but he managed to get away. He started to make plans to leave, including talking to his daughter Kate. They didn’t have a good relationship. Something changed Luther’s mind about leaving and he seemed to be trying to expose Allen.

Seth Frank was the homicide detective investigating Christy’s death. Right from the start things about the case didn’t make sense to him. Seth tracked down Luther to ask some questions. Seth didn’t believe that Luther was a killer, but he thought he might know something about what happened. Kate was pulled into the investigation, and even put in danger. Gloria, Bill, and Tim were after Luther. Allen was kept in the dark about some things for a while, but he ordered certain things done once he was told those things. Bill was upset about the orders, but Tim didn’t have a problem.

Absolute Power was a suspenseful movie. I didn’t know what would happen next. The plot was very interesting to me, and it kept my interest. I wasn’t bored by anything that happened. I have seen the movie several times and I still enjoy it. I did see the movie before I read the book. It has been a long time since I read the book, so I have forgotten some things. The movie stayed close to the book, but some things were changed. One character that was important in the book wasn’t in the movie at all. Seth in the movie seemed to be a combination of Seth from the book and the character left out of the movie. Something that I think is rather major was changed. It was probably more realistic in the book, but I liked how it was done in the movie better. Since things were different, there could still be some suspense in the movie for people who have read the book. Kate and Luther didn’t have a great relationship in the book either, but if I remember right, they did see each other more often than they did in the movie.

Allen and Christy were involved in some kind of affair. The movie didn’t make it clear if they had been having sex for a while, or if that was the first time. They were both tipsy, and things got a bit rough. Christy fought back. Her nightgown or slip was ripped, but she remained covered. There was no nudity in the movie. It was kind of disturbing to see Gene Hackman in a sex scene, especially a rough sex scene. Well, it was really rough foreplay, but it was still a bit disturbing to me to see him in a scene like that. I think he is a really good actor, but I just don’t want to see him that way. It could have been worse though. He could have been shown naked. Or Clint Eastwood could have been shown naked. I really don’t need to see either of them without clothes. Gloria was attracted to Allen and seemed to be hoping he would show some sexual interest in her. That was built up more in the book. In the book, she took advantage of a situation in a way that was a bit disturbing. That wasn’t shown in the movie thankfully. Gloria’s interest in Allen was downplayed in the movie, though it was still clear that she was hoping he would want them to start a sexual relationship.

Absolute Power wasn’t a violent movie overall, but there was some violence in some scenes. Christy was murdered, and that was shown. Her body was shown while Bill and Tim were cleaning up. There was more violence later in the movie, but none of it was that extreme. There was some shooting, and a car accident. People were injured. People who don’t like to see violence in movies should probably avoid this movie. There was some swearing in the movie, but it wasn’t too extreme. I don’t think the swearing would offend anyone.

The acting in Absolute Power was very good. I do think Clint Eastwood was good in the part of Luther. He did some things that I thought was a bit unbelievable considering the age of the character though. In the book, Luther was older, so it worked for Clint to portray him in the movie. I do think it was stretching things a bit far with how Luther was able to outrun two much younger secret service agents. The way Luther left the house was a bit unbelievable for someone that age as well. I can’t remember from the book if he left the house the same way or not. Gene Hackman was very good as Allen. Gene Hackman is a very talented actor, and I’ve seen several of his movies over the years and enjoyed them. Allen wasn’t that nice of a character, but this wasn’t the first bad character he’s played. He can play bad guys and good guys really well. He and Clint Eastwood worked together on Unforgiven, and Hackman won an Oscar for his work in that movie. Hackman played another rather unpleasant character in Runaway Jury. Ed Harris was believable as Seth. I’ve seen him in several movies and I really like him. Seth was a little different from how he was in the book, but I did like him.

Laura Linney was very good as Kate. This was one of the first movies I ever saw her in, and I have liked her ever since. She was recently in Mystic River. Scott Glenn and Dennis Haysbert were fine as the secret service agents. Dennis Haysbert provided a voice for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. I also saw him in Widow's Kiss. Judy Davis was really good as Gloria. The character had few issues, and Davis showed that in her performance. E.G. Marshall didn’t have as much to do as Walter, but he was good in the scenes he had. He played a different sort of character in Christmas Vacation. Richard Jenkins had a small part as a hitman. He wasn’t given much to do, so there really wasn’t anything that stood out about his performance. He was in Cheaper by the Dozen and Intolerable Cruelty last year. Alison Eastwood, Clint’s daughter, made a small appearance at the beginning of the movie. Her character wasn’t involved in the main plot, so there really wasn’t much for her to do.


CHARACTERS

Luther Whitney - He had been a thief for most of his life. He spent some time in jail, which harmed his relationship with his wife and his only daughter. His marriage ended and he didn’t have a good relationship with Kate, but he kept track of her over the years. Luther planned things carefully. He lived a simple life that didn’t draw attention to himself. He never killed anyone during a robbery. He had a sense of what he considered right and wrong even though he was a criminal.

Allen Richmond - He was the president. He had affairs and depended on his chief of staff and some secret service agents to cover things up for him. Allen acted one way in public when the press was around, but he was different in private. He thought he was above the law because he was the president.

Seth Frank - He was the homicide detective on the case. Seth thought that something was strange about the murder from the beginning. He was a good detective and determined to figure out the case. He talked to Luther about the robbery, and even Kate. Seth was interested in Kate.

Kate Whitney - Luther’s daughter. She wasn’t close to her father, but she did still care for him. She was very conflicted in her feelings for her father. She was a lawyer.

Bill and Tim - The secret service agents that were with Allen the night of the murder. Bill was more bothered by things he was told to do after the murder than Tim was.

Gloria Russell - Allen’s chief of staff. She was bossy and demanding and could be nasty to people. She was determined to protect Allen. She decided that they would clean up the scene before the police were notified. Gloria was interested in Allen and seemed to be hoping he would want to have an affair with her.

Walter Sullivan - He was an older, rich man. He and Allen had been friends for many years. Walter picked a much younger woman when he remarried. Their relationship was rather unique, but he did love her and was devastated when she was murdered.

Christy Sullivan - Walter’s wife. She came up with a few ideas for her marriage that were a bit different.

CAST

Judy Davis - Gloria Russell
Alison Eastwood - Art Student
Clint Eastwood - Luther Whitney
Scott Glenn - Bill
Gene Hackman - President Allen Richmond
Melora Hardin - Christy Sullivan
Ed Harris - Seth Frank
Dennis Haysbert - Tim
Richard Jenkins - Hitman
Laura Linney - Kate Whitney
E. G. Marshall - Walter Sullivan

Absolute Power was released in 1997. This was one of the movies that Clint Eastwood directed as well as acted in. The movie was rated R and 121 minutes long. This really isn’t a movie for children. It should be all right for older children to see, if they are interested in the plot. The movie was based on the book by David Baldacci. The movie is now available on DVD and VHS. The DVD doesn’t have any extras. An edited version does turn up on television every so often.

I really enjoy Absolute Power. It is a very entertaining movie with a wonderful cast. People who are fans of any of the actors should check this movie out.

Related Reviews
Mystic River ~ Christmas Vacation ~ Runaway Jury ~Widow's Kiss ~ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ~ Intolerable Cruelty ~ Cheaper by the Dozen ~



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older