He was where he shouldn't have been and saw what he shouldn't have seen. Now, who will believe the word of a career thief and ex-con? Who will trust Luther Whitney when he says he saw a woman killed--and that the man responsible for her death is the President of the United States?
Presidential power and politics make for delicious fiction. They also often make for scrumptious
fact.
With Absolute Power, a 1996 Thriller starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, America's
highest political office falls under the crosshairs of intrigue, mystery, and murder, the movie telling
the story of a
fictional cover-up and both a President and a professional burglar caught between the proverbial
rock and hard place. What makes
Absolute Power so enticing is that its story no longer seems like something that could only
exist in the world of fiction; considering the many unbelievable scandals that continue to rock
American politicians with startling regularity, the film suddenly takes on new meaning in the new
world of fast-paced 24-hour news coverage and the ability for information to rapidly change hands
and finds its way into the public sphere. A story that could have just as easily been torn from
today's
headlines as it could be just a simple make-believe tale of unspeakable actions, Absolute
Power makes for gripping cinema with an underlying tone that says that something like this
really could happen -- or maybe already has.
Play nice!
Luther Whitney (Eastwood) is a professional burglar, trained to not only defeat the simplest of
countermeasures but to infiltrate the elite homes and businesses in America and get away with
precious jewels, cash, and untold riches that would make common criminals cry in their sleep.
During one of Whitney's routine break-ins at a palatial estate, a couple enters the home from
below. Drunken and
too busy with one another to notice that something may be amiss, they stumble into the bedroom
just as Luther slips into a remote-controlled closet equipped with a two-way mirror. Through the
looking
glass he's stunned to see the President of the United States, Allen Richmond (Gene Hackman, Superman), having his
way with a much younger socialite. When the romance turns sour and a struggle ensues,
Richmond's Secret Service agents burst into the room and kill the woman before she could murder
the President with a letter opener. Fortunately for Luther, neither the Secret Service agents nor
the President's Chief of Staff, Gloria Russell (Judy Davis, My Brilliant Career),
know he can see and hear all as they plot the cover-up to protect the President's misdeeds. Luther
escapes with evidence that could implicate the President and his entourage in the murder, but not
before the Secret
Service realizes that there's a third party in their midst. With Luther's life on the line and police
detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris, The Rock) hot on his
trail, he must choose fight or flight, deciding between playing things safe or taking the fight to the
highest levels of power.
Absolute Power isn't a garden-variety Mystery; it's a picture where the facts of the case
play out in front of the audience and several of the characters alike from the get-go, leaving the
film to not solve a mystery but rather to allow for its after-effects to linger and make an impact on
each of the primary characters. And that's what sets Absolute Power apart from others of
its kind. It's a character-driven Drama with strong actors that manage the plot with workmanlike
efficiency, catering not to some generic structure but instead building real people with real motives
and honest emotions, no matter their place in the story. The film is about its characters first and
its plot second; the plot almost becomes lost to the scene-chewing goodness of the actors, in part
because there's an absence of a traditional "whodunit" routine but also because the cast so good
at playing things straight. There are elements of action to be sure, but dialogue, lingering and
contemplative shots, and background nuances all shape the film far more than its few but
well-crafted action pieces. Most films of this sort rely on chases, shootouts, and the unknown to
succeed; Absolute Power lays it all out on the table from the get-go and challenges itself to
build a top-notch movie out of a story where the biggest surprise comes in its opening act.
Absolute Power demonstrates Clint Eastwood's dual talents splendidly. Though the star of
the show in front of the camera, it's his direction -- alongside a clever script -- behind it that sets
the tone for the story; it's moody,
deliberate, and contemplative, not the stuff of high-octane action to be sure but instead the work
of a craftsman that caters to his story's strengths and accentuates its positives. In Eastwood's
hands, neither the two-hour length nor the lack of a sustained action sequence hinders the
movie's feel and ability to work as straight drama. His direction is tight, steady, and deliberate,
capturing more of a feel than a specific look, the perfect companion to the slow and steady but
captivating story. Eastwood shines on the screen, too, giving a performance that's splendidly
intriguing as a career criminal that must juggle his morality by fleeing the scene of two crimes --
his own and the murder -- or confront the world's most powerful elite head-on in the name of
justice. Though Eastwood's character is the best and most fascinating of the bunch, he wisely
surrounds
himself with
some of the top names in the business. Both Gene Hackman and Ed Harris match Eastwood line
for line, and a strong supporting cast of Hollywood regulars -- Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, Judy
Davis, Laura Linney, Penny Johnson, E.G. Marshall, and Richard Jenkins -- only add to the film's
luster. Indeed, Absolute Power assembles a cast constructed of craftsmen and not simply
pretty
faces, actors that demonstrate the professionalism and integrity of the craft, disappearing into their
roles and adding a seamlessness to the picture that, like Eastwood's steady but not flashy
direction, suits the material perfectly.
Absolute Power arrives on Blu-ray with a sturdy 1080p, 2.39:1-framed transfer. This is a
good high definition image, one that's not likely to dazzle longtime format aficionados but one that
certainly takes the material it has to work with and runs with it, delivering what is generally a quality
film-like image that suits the picture's atmosphere well. A light layer of grain covers much of the film,
though several shots do look a bit smooth and processed. Some lingering softness and a few
random pops and speckles interrupt the image on occasion as well, but it's generally stable, clear, and
sharp, with good detailing and average color reproduction. Viewers won't notice an abundance of
lifelike details, but the usual suspects -- faces, clothes, and foreground objects -- benefit from the
1080p resolution, and colors, too, are nicely rendered, particularly noticeable in the few brighter hues
seen on green grasses or the red, white, and blue of an American flag. Unfortunately, slight crushing
is an intermittent issue in the film's darker shots, scenes, and sequences, but flesh tones appear
mostly stable and honest. Though not a crowd-pleasing 1080p transfer, Absolute Power
sports a reputable image that does the movie proud.
Absolute Power debuts on Blu-ray with a smooth but sonically unremarkable DTS-HD MA 5.1
lossless soundtrack. It's a steady listen, one that hits all the right notes with suitable clarity and
definition, but it lacks the seamlessness of superior tracks. Then again, this is primarily a
dialogue-driven Drama with little to offer in the way of whiz-bang sonic goodness. Music is nice and
spacious, effortlessly flowing across the entirety of the soundstage and making the speakers disappear
with a
nicely-balanced presentation, one that's focused up front but with some back-channel support
elements enabled for good measure.
A few of the more aggressive moments offer some noticeable power and heft during several large and
raucous crashes and crunches; these elements feature a distinct, potent, and strong posture rather
than playing as merely a jumble of sound in hopes of replicating the sensation of
some loud or powerful effect. Generally, though, Absolute Power is a dialogue-centric picture,
and Warner's lossless soundtrack neither misses nor garbles even a single syllable. Much like the
video,
this presentation is solid but unremarkable, one that admirably gets the job done but won't strike a
chord or be remembered once the film comes to an end.
Moviegoers looking for action and adventure will leave Absolute Power feeling unfulfilled;
there's little of either in the film. Instead, it's a picture that's well-crafted and engaging despite the
absence of a more traditional mystery motif, allowing for its characters rather than its action to dictate
the experience. This is an example of professional moviemaking on both sides of the camera
overcoming the lack of more traditional story and genre elements, with Clint Eastwood leading the
charge but surrounded by some of Hollywood's best pure actors of the 1990s, making Absolute
Power a must-see Drama if only for the superb craftsmanship that makes it a standout amongst
lesser pictures that rely more on style over substance. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of
Absolute Power, unfortunately, contains no extras, but it does sport a good-looking 1080p
transfer and a strong lossless soundtrack. Recommended.
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