Absolute Power

Absolute Power" would have been more genuinely disturbing.... ... Full Review

The film isn't bad, but it's contrived and dawdling, and the slow patches give you plenty of time to reflect on the many implausible moments. But a lot of critics seem to want to believe that "Absolute Power," Eastwood's new movie as director/star, is better than it is. ... Full Review

The premise of the Clint Eastwood picture ``Absolute Power,'' now out on video, probably would have been enough to make a decent movie. Absolute Power'' is a first-rate thriller about arrogance at the top, a showdown between two kinds of Americans: the evil, omnipotent bureaucrat and the enterprising, mind-his- own-business loner. ... Full Review

They should consider doing a good movie together sometime. It's a lengthy, meticulous and risky sequence, meant to set the tone for a thoughtful thriller. ... Full Review

Yes, this film's plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but there is so much pleasure involved in seeing how beautifully old-fashioned movie machinery can be made to work that it seems churlish to object. In fact, "Absolute Power," written by veteran William Goldman (from a novel by David Baldacci) and having each of its eight key roles knowingly cast, is a tribute to that increasingly rare commodity, Hollywood professionalism. ... Full Review

Images View Larger Image The premise of the new Clint Eastwood picture, ``Absolute Power,'' would probably have been enough to make a decent movie. Absolute Power'' is a film with many strong roles and famous faces in those roles. ... Full Review

He's also up against the president's ambitious chief of staff, Gloria Russell (the tart Judy Davis), who doesn't want to lose her job by letting the president lose his. After escaping the scene with Secret Service agents Scott Glenn and Dennis Haysbert in pursuit, he is loath to approach the authorities, even to give them the evidence he stole that links the president to the crime. ... Full Review

Absolute Power is glum and depersonalized....Locking himself in the vault, he stares out from behind its one-way mirror and suddenly finds himself playing voyeur to a scene of tawdry intrigue.....while dancing a far too grandiose pas de deux at a White House ball, the movie passes beyond ineptitude and into Naked Gun camp..... ... Full Review

But neither actor is ever dull....But in spite of its inventive premise and many good moments, the film never really jells.....R for a rough sex scene.....Harris is a fine foil for Eastwood, who plays the burglar with an appealing combination of wit and charm.....As the Secret Service agent at her command, Scott Glenn uses deadpan irony to be just as vicious and just as entertaining..... ... Full Review

We witness the murder along with Eastwood -- the fun here is watching the good guys unravel it all and the not-so-good guys find a moral path through it. The serious star power (also including Scott Glenn as a secret service agent and Ed Harris as a homicide detective) is nicely directed by Eastwood. ... Full Review