‘Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one...’
What better way to mark the recent tragic passing of acting titan Gene Hackman than watching a mostly forgotten ’90s thriller that is not even close to his best work? Well, it’s not the best use of all of our time, but here we are. Despite having an incredible range of talent involved (Clint Eastwood, William Goldman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney and, of course, Hackman), Absolute Power is a bit of a non-event. Eastwood was brought on as a director-for-hire, which is perhaps why he doesn’t seem as invested here as he does in some of his other directorial projects. Having said that, with this level of talent involved, there will always be moments of greatness…
Luther Whitney (Eastwood) is a thief. He’s a gruff thief. One night, when committing one of his robberies (as is his wont), a couple arrive home and Whitney is forced to watch as the man assaults the woman; she fights back and is then subsequently killed. This would be complicated enough for Whitney, who just wants to steal stuff and be left alone, damn it, without the added complication of the fact that the man in question also happens to be the President of the United States of America (Hackman). Scott Glenn and Dennis Haysbert play a pair of Secret Service Agents. Harris portrays a curious detective, and Linney shines as Whitney’s world-weary daughter, Kate.
I know what you’re thinking. What the world needs right now is an extended and explicit sex scene between an aging Gene Hackman and a much younger actress that eventually devolves into gratuitous violence. Eesh. To be fair, as a piece of cinema, it is propulsive and compelling, especially as much of it is played out without dialogue, but it’s still difficult to sit through. From there, Absolute Power is a mixture of captivating sequences that combine Eastwood and either Harris or Linney, elevated by Goldman’s typically excellent screenplay, and more pedestrian, plodding scenes that slow the film down and add nothing much of note. It’s a frustrating experience because the highs here are really high; it’s just that the best moments are never sustained, and the ending falls flat, too.
Absolute Power is one of the least successful films in Eastwood’s oeuvre as a director, and it’s a testament to his consistency that it’s still pretty good – even when not firing on all cylinders, Eastwood is impossible to ignore.
