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.
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.