Absolute Power (film)

{{Short description|1997 American film directed by Clint Eastwood}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Absolute Power

| image = Absolute power.jpg

| alt = An angry man looks to the viewer while the US Secret Service logo and a dead woman appear at the bottom with the film's title

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Clint Eastwood

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Clint Eastwood
Karen S. Spiegel

}}

| screenplay = William Goldman

| based_on = {{based on|Absolute Power|David Baldacci}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Lennie Niehaus

| cinematography = Jack N. Green

| editing = Joel Cox

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing

| released = {{Film date|1997|02|14}}

| runtime = 121 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $50 million

| gross = $92.8 million{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|date=February 9, 1998|title=The Top 125|page=31}}

}}

Absolute Power is a 1997 American political action thriller film produced by, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood as a master jewel thief, Luther Whitney, who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents.{{Cite news|url=http://movieweb.com/clint-eastwood-acting-again/|title=Clint Eastwood Is Returning to Acting|date=2017-05-21|work=MovieWeb|access-date=2017-10-13|language=en-US}} The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1996 novel Absolute Power by David Baldacci. Screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival,{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4814/year/1997.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Absolute Power |access-date=September 27, 2009|publisher=Festival de Cannes}} the film also stars Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, and Richard Jenkins. It was also the last screen appearance of E. G. Marshall. The scenes in the museum were filmed in the Walters Art Museum, where Whitney is copying a painting by El Greco: "Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata".{{cite web | url=https://art.thewalters.org/detail/6457/saint-francis-receiving-the-stigmata-2/ | title=Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata | the Walters Art Museum }}

Plot

In Washington, D.C., master thief Luther Whitney breaks into the mansion of billionaire Walter Sullivan. He is forced to hide upon the arrival of Sullivan's wife Christy, on a drunken rendezvous with Alan Richmond, the President of the United States. Hidden behind the bedroom vault's one-way mirror, Luther watches as Richmond becomes sexually violent; Christy, in self-defense, wounds his arm with a letter opener. Richmond screams for help, and Secret Service agents Bill Burton and Tim Collin burst in, see Christy about to stab the President, and fatally shoot her. Chief of Staff Gloria Russell arrives, and they stage the scene to look like a burglary gone wrong. Luther is unnoticed until he makes his getaway, pursued by the agents, but he manages to escape with millions in valuables as well as the incriminating letter opener.

Detective Seth Frank heads the murder investigation. Though Luther, known to authorities as a high-profile burglar, becomes a prime suspect, Frank does not believe he is a murderer because he was never a violent criminal. Burton asks Frank to keep him informed on the case and wiretaps Frank's office telephone. Just as Luther is about to flee the country, he sees Richmond on television publicly commiserating with Sullivan – a close friend and financial supporter of the president – on his loss. Incensed, Luther decides to bring Richmond to justice.

Luther's estranged daughter, Kate, accompanies Frank to her father's home in search of clues. Photographs of her indicate that Luther has secretly been watching her as she grew up. Fearing for her father's life, she agrees to set him up, arranging a meeting at an outdoor café. Frank guarantees Luther's safety, but Burton learns of the plan through the wiretap, and both Collin and Michael McCarty – a hitman hired by a vengeful Sullivan – prepare to kill Luther. The two snipers, each unaware of the other, try to shoot Luther when he meets with Kate. Luther escapes disguised as a police officer. Luther later explains to Kate exactly how Christy was killed and by whom.

Suspecting that Kate must know the truth, Richmond decides she must be eliminated. When Luther learns from Frank that the Secret Service is surveilling Kate, he races back to D.C. to protect her. Collin rams Kate's car over a cliff edge. Luther arrives too late, but Kate survives. Collin tries again to kill her at the hospital with a poison-filled syringe, but is killed by Luther.

Luther replaces Sullivan's chauffeur and tells Sullivan what truly happened the night his wife was killed. He gives Sullivan the letter opener with Richmond's blood and fingerprints and drops him off outside the White House. A shocked and enraged Sullivan then enters the building to confront Richmond. Later on television comes the shocking news from Sullivan that Richmond allegedly committed suicide by stabbing himself to death with the letter opener. Meanwhile, Frank discovers that a remorseful Burton has committed suicide and uses the evidence Burton left behind to arrest Russell. Back at the hospital, Luther reconnects with his daughter.

Cast

Clint Eastwood as Luther Whitney
Gene Hackman as U.S. President Alan Richmond
Ed Harris as Detective Seth Frank
Laura Linney as Kate Whitney
Scott Glenn as Secret Service Agent Bill Burton
Dennis Haysbert as Secret Service Agent Tim Collin
Judy Davis as Chief of Staff Gloria Russell
E. G. Marshall as Walter Sullivan
Melora Hardin as Christy Sullivan
Kenneth Welsh as Sandy Lord
Penny Johnson as Detective Laura Simon
Richard Jenkins as Michael McCarty
Mark Margolis as "Red" Brandsford
Alison Eastwood as Art Student

Production

The worldwide book and film rights to the novel were sold for a reported $5 million. William Goldman was hired to write the screenplay in late 1994. He worked on several drafts through 1995, which he later described in his memoir Which Lie Did I Tell?Goldman, William, Which Lie Did I Tell?, Bloomsbury, 2000 p 97-127

When Clint Eastwood first heard of the book being turned into a film, he liked the basic plot and the characters, but disliked that most of those he considered interesting were killed off. He requested that Goldman make sure that "everyone the audience likes doesn't get killed off."{{cite journal| last=Blair |first=Iain |title= Clint Eastwood: The Actor-Director Reflects on His Continuing Career and New Film, Absolute Power |journal= Film & Video |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=70–78 |date=March 1997 }} Absolute Power was filmed between June and August 1996.

Among the Washington, D.C. locations used for filming was the apartment of journalist Christopher Hitchens.{{cite news |last1=Groth |first1=Gary |title=My Dinner with Hitch |url=http://www.tcj.com/my-dinner-with-hitch/ |access-date=May 10, 2020 |work=The Comics Journal |date=January 9, 2012}}{{cite news |last1=Hitchens |first1=Christopher |title=In Search of the Washington Novel |url=https://www.city-journal.org/html/search-washington-novel-13337.html |access-date=May 10, 2020 |work=City Journal |issue=Autumn 2010}}

Reception

= Critical response =

Absolute Power was met with mixed reviews from critics. In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin gave it a mixed review, writing, "Mr. Eastwood directs a sensible-looking genre film with smooth expertise, but its plot is quietly berserk." Maslin goes on to write, "Mr. Eastwood's own performance sets a high-water mark for laconic intelligence and makes the star seem youthfully spry by joking so much about his age."{{cite news|last=Maslin |first=Janet |title=Absolute Power: A Whole New Meaning for Executive Privilege |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 14, 1997 |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0DE0DA173FF937A25751C0A961958260 |access-date=March 13, 2012}}

On the aggregate reviewer website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Absolute Power collapses under its preposterous plotting despite an all-star cast and Clint Eastwood's deft direction."{{cite web|title=Absolute Power (1997)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolute_power|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=April 23, 2025}} {{MC film|52|21|ref=yes|access-date=March 27, 2023}} Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

= Box office =

The film grossed $16.8 million in its opening weekend. It grossed $50.1 million in the United States and Canada and $42.7 million internationally for a worldwide total of $92.8 million against its $50 million production budget.{{Cite web |title=Absolute Power (1997) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Absolute-Power |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=The Numbers}} It Italy, it was number one for nine consecutive weeks.{{cite magazine|title=Italy Top 15|magazine=Screen International|date=July 25, 1997|page=43}}

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Absolute Power was released on March 11, 1997. "Kate's Theme" was composed by Clint Eastwood and arranged by Lennie Niehaus. All other tracks written and arranged by Lennie Niehaus.

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Artist

| total_length = 29:54[https://www.allmusic.com/album/absolute-power-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000617642 Absolute Power Soundtrack] AllMusic. Retrieved March 2, 2014

| title1 = Kate's Theme

| length1 = 2:07

| extra1 = Lennie Niehaus

| title2 = Mansion

| length2 = 1:32

| extra2 = Lennie Niehaus

| title3 = Christy Dies

| length3 = 2:28

| extra3 = Lennie Niehaus

| title4 = Mansion Chase

| length4 = 4:34

| extra4 = Lennie Niehaus

| title5 = Christy's Dance

| length5 = 3:42

| extra5 = Lennie Niehaus

| title6 = Waiting for Luther/Wait for My Signal

| length6 = 6:58

| extra6 = Lennie Niehaus

| title7 = Dr. Kevorkian I Presume

| length7 = 1:44

| extra7 = Lennie Niehaus

| title8 = Sullivan's Revenge

| length8 = 2:19

| extra8 = Lennie Niehaus

| title9 = Kate's Theme/End Credits

| length9 = 4:42

| extra9 = Lennie Niehaus

}}

References

; Citations

; Bibliography

{{cite book |last=Baldacci |first=David |author-link=David Baldacci |title=Absolute Power |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |location=New York |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-446-51996-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/absolutepower000bald }}
{{cite book|last=Hughes |first=Howard |title=Aim for the Heart |publisher=I.B. Tauris |location=London |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-84511-902-7}}