Absolute Power (1997)
63%RT Audience Score: 52%
Awards & Nominations: 1 nomination
Absolute Power collapses under its preposterous plotting despite an all-star cast and Clint Eastwood’s deft direction
Absolute Power” is a movie that’s worth watching if you’re in the mood for a slow-burn thriller that’s more about the characters than the action. Clint Eastwood is great as always, and the rest of the cast is solid too. Sure, there are some plot holes and implausibilities, but what movie doesn’t have those? Overall, it’s a fun ride that will keep you guessing until the end. Plus, there are no nubile strippers, so that’s a plus in my book.
Production Company(ies)
Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, Turnpike Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Corcoran Gallery of Art – 500 N. 17th Street, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence, sexuality and language
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2010
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
Absolute Power, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Mystery, Thriller, R, Karen S Spiegel, Box Office, Gross USA, $50.0M, Directed by Clint Eastwood, Written by William Goldman, Produced by Clint Eastwood, Reviewed by Rita Kempley, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Peter Travers, Carol Buckland, Michael Wilmington, David Ansen, Yasser Medina, Tom Hutchinson, Chris Hewitt, Malcolm Johnson, Steve Persall, David Sterritt, MPAA Rating, Presidential Affair, Secret Service, Murder, Justice, Detective, All-Star Cast, Preposterous Plotting, Implausibilities, Hitchcock-esque, Clichés, Political Thriller, Intrigue, Unconvincing Moments, Excessive Sex, Violence, Deeply Felt Performance
Worldwide gross: $50,068,310
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,331,378
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,051
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,177,904
US/Canada gross: $50,068,310
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,331,378
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 784
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,678,016
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $27,361,009
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 504
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $50,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $93,204,043
Production budget ranking: 444
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $50,190,377
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$50,063,042
ROI to date (est.): -35%
ROI ranking: 1,599
Gene Hackman – President Allen Richmond
Ed Harris – Seth Frank
Laura Linney – Kate Whitney
Judy Davis – Gloria Russell
Scott Glenn – Bill Burton
Director(s)
Clint Eastwood
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Clint Eastwood, Karen S. Spiegel
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (25)
Eastwood the director sets a pace so poky that grannies with walkers seem fleet in comparison. Of course, this makes the many plot holes and implausibilities all the more evident…
June 25, 2020
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Clint Eastwood as producer-director-star strikes out in a rather slack thriller that oddly recalls a couple of Hitchcock’s lesser movies, To Catch a Thief and Topaz.
June 25, 2020
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Absolute Power is… fresh out of the clichés that reduce most thrillers to formula.
June 25, 2020
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
“Absolute Power” is not a “must-see.” But if you’re looking for a well-made, grown-up movie, it’s worth your time and money.
June 25, 2020
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
“Absolute Power” wanders. Yet, the movie is worth seeing simply because of Eastwood’s presence, his (and Green’s) camera, his excellent cast.
June 25, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Eastwood is at his effortless, slyboots best: he deftly cranks up the suspense at the beginning, but by the end he’s cruising along so briskly that he can afford to throw away the climactic, violent scenes other directors would belabor.
March 2, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
A Clint Eastwood film that lays out the ingredients for a well-made political thriller, but its lack of intrigue and calculated effect throws the mix into an unfinished sketch. [Full review in Spanish]
December 7, 2021 | Rating: 6/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
Credibility is the main casualty of the piece, but William Goldman’s taut script is well realised by thoughtful direction and the high-calibre cast.
June 25, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Tom Hutchinson
Radio Times
“Absolute Power” is appealingly untrendy: no car chases, no explosions, no nubile strippers. There isn’t even a single character in the movie under 30.
June 25, 2020
Chris Hewitt
St. Paul Pioneer Press
An ingenious, taut thriller beset with narrative gaps and unconvincing moments.
June 25, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
Absolute Power is one of those evil-in-high-places thrillers that hums along nicely while the crimes are being committed, and sputters while they’re being solved.
June 25, 2020 | Rating: B-
Steve Persall
Tampa Bay Times
It’s more effective than expected – aside from the scenes of excessive sex and violence, that is – mainly because Eastwood gives one of the most deeply felt performances of his career.
June 25, 2020
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor…
Plot
Inspired by David Baldacci’s novel, and the ruthlessness of people in power. President Alan Richmond believes that everything he does is beyond reproach, including an affair or two. That leads to murder and everyone around him is involved. There is only one witness, a thief named Luther Whitney. They are sure he’ll talk, but when? The Secret Service is determined to keep him quiet, but catching a thief isn’t always easy.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The all-star cast of Absolute Power couldn’t save it from collapsing under its preposterous plot, according to Fresh Kernels.
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