Absolute Power (film)
Encyclopedia
Absolute Power is a 1997 American political thriller
produced, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood
as a thief who witnesses a murder. The screenplay by William Goldman
is based on the 1996 novel of the same name written by David Baldacci
. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
.
The film also stars Gene Hackman
, Ed Harris
, Judy Davis
, Laura Linney
, Dennis Haysbert
and Scott Glenn
. It was also the last screen appearance of E.G. Marshall.
), a master jewel thief, witnesses Secret Service
agents killing Christy (Melora Hardin
), the beautiful young wife of elderly billionaire Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall), during her drunken rendezvous with Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman
), the President of the United States
. Sullivan is Richmond's friend and financial supporter, and Richmond is a known philanderer. Luther has a daughter, Kate (Laura Linney
), who works as a prosecutor
and has been estranged from him for years.
Luther breaks into Sullivan's mansion while the Sullivan family is on vacation, but Christy and Richmond interrupt him as he robs the house, Christy having asked her family to go without her. Luther hides behind a one-way mirror and watches as they begin a sexual encounter. When Richmond, who is a sadist
, slaps Christy and tries to strangle her, she attacks him with a letter opener; Richmond yells for help, and Secret Service agents Bill Burton (Scott Glenn
) and Tim Collin (Dennis Haysbert
) shoot her to death. They and Chief of Staff
Gloria Russell (Judy Davis
) then make the scene appear as if a burglar killed her. Luther escapes with some valuables and the bloody letter opener, but the Secret Service becomes aware of him.
Detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris
) investigates the crime. Luther quickly becomes a prime suspect in the burglary, but Frank does not believe he murdered Christy. As Luther is about to flee the country, he sees Richmond on television, vowing to find the murderer, and incensed by this hypocrisy, he decides to bring Richmond to justice. Meanwhile, Burton asks Frank to keep him informed about the case while a Secret Service agent bugs Frank's office telephone.
Kate takes Frank to Luther's town house to search for clues. Photographs of her indicate that Luther has secretly been watching her as she grew up, but she still suspects him of killing Christy, so she agrees to Frank's request that she meet with Luther. Frank guarantees Luther's safety, but Burton learns about the plan through the wiretap, and someone alerts Sullivan, who hires a hitman
(Richard Jenkins
) to kill Luther. At the meeting, Collin and Sullivan's sniper, each unaware of the other, try to shoot Luther, but they both miss, and Luther escapes through the police cordon by posing as a police officer. Frank takes Kate back to her apartment. After he leaves, Luther comes out of hiding in the apartment, explains to Kate how Christy was killed, and leaves.
Luther taunts Russell by sending her a photograph of the letter opener and tricking her into wearing Christy's necklace in public. Correctly suspecting that Kate knows the truth, Richmond orders Collin and Burton to kill her. When Frank tells Luther that the Secret Service has taken over surveillance of Kate, Luther races back to DC to protect her. He arrives at her jogging area just moments after Collin pushes her and her car off a cliff. Collin tries to kill her again at the hospital, but Luther stops him, jabbing him with a poison-filled syringe Collin brought with him. When Collin pleads for mercy, Luther says he's "fresh out" and delivers the fatal dose.
After learning from Frank that Sullivan gave no reason why Christy stayed home (she had claimed to her husband - and to him only - that she was sick), Luther incapacitates Sullivan's chauffeur and drives Sullivan around Washington, telling him what happened on the night of the murder and explaining that Richmond incriminated himself in a speech by citing Christy's excuse for staying home, which he could only have learned from her. Luther gives Sullivan the letter opener and drops him off outside the White House
, and Sullivan sneaks the letter opener into Richmond's office.
Meanwhile, alerted by Luther that his phones are bugged, Frank goes to Burton's office. In remorse for the attempt on Kate, Burton has committed suicide and left evidence, which Frank uses to arrest Russell. Later, on the television news, Sullivan claims that the President committed suicide by stabbing himself to death. It is unrevealed whether Sullivan himself stabbed Richmond or if Richmond indeed committed suicide so as to avoid punishment for his crimes. The film ends as Luther watches Kate in her hospital room. After Frank visits briefly, Luther suggests to Kate that she invite Frank to dinner and draws a sketch of Kate.
, he requested Goldman make sure that "everyone the audience likes doesn't get killed off." Absolute Power was filmed between June and July 1996 in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.
. It was not a box office success domestically, grossing $16,770,220 on opening weekend. It had a total U.S. box office gross of $50,068,310, barely recouping its $50 million budget.
Political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. They usually involve various extra-legal plots, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him. They can involve national or international political scenarios....
produced, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
as a thief who witnesses a murder. The screenplay by William Goldman
William Goldman
William Goldman is an American novelist, playwright, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.-Early life and education:...
is based on the 1996 novel of the same name written by David Baldacci
David Baldacci
David Baldacci is a bestselling American novelist.-Biography:Baldacci received a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. As a student, Baldacci wrote short stories in his spare time, and later practiced law for nine years near Washington, D.C....
. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
1997 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Isabelle Adjani *Gong Li *Mira Sorvino *Paul Auster *Tim Burton *Luc Bondy *Patrick Dupond *Mike Leigh *Nanni Moretti *Michael Ondaatje -Feature film competition:...
.
The film also stars Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
, Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
, Judy Davis
Judy Davis
Judy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
, Laura Linney
Laura Linney
Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
, Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...
and Scott Glenn
Scott Glenn
Theodore Scott Glenn is an American actor. His roles have included Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy , astronaut Alan Shepard in The Right Stuff ,Emmett in Silverado , Commander Bart Mancuso in The Hunt for Red October , Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs and The Wise Man in Sucker Punch -Early...
. It was also the last screen appearance of E.G. Marshall.
Plot
The story describes a conflict that arises after Luther Whitney (Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
), a master jewel thief, witnesses Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agents killing Christy (Melora Hardin
Melora Hardin
Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
), the beautiful young wife of elderly billionaire Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall), during her drunken rendezvous with Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
), the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Sullivan is Richmond's friend and financial supporter, and Richmond is a known philanderer. Luther has a daughter, Kate (Laura Linney
Laura Linney
Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
), who works as a prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
and has been estranged from him for years.
Luther breaks into Sullivan's mansion while the Sullivan family is on vacation, but Christy and Richmond interrupt him as he robs the house, Christy having asked her family to go without her. Luther hides behind a one-way mirror and watches as they begin a sexual encounter. When Richmond, who is a sadist
Sadism and masochism
Sadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...
, slaps Christy and tries to strangle her, she attacks him with a letter opener; Richmond yells for help, and Secret Service agents Bill Burton (Scott Glenn
Scott Glenn
Theodore Scott Glenn is an American actor. His roles have included Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy , astronaut Alan Shepard in The Right Stuff ,Emmett in Silverado , Commander Bart Mancuso in The Hunt for Red October , Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs and The Wise Man in Sucker Punch -Early...
) and Tim Collin (Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...
) shoot her to death. They and Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
Gloria Russell (Judy Davis
Judy Davis
Judy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
) then make the scene appear as if a burglar killed her. Luther escapes with some valuables and the bloody letter opener, but the Secret Service becomes aware of him.
Detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
) investigates the crime. Luther quickly becomes a prime suspect in the burglary, but Frank does not believe he murdered Christy. As Luther is about to flee the country, he sees Richmond on television, vowing to find the murderer, and incensed by this hypocrisy, he decides to bring Richmond to justice. Meanwhile, Burton asks Frank to keep him informed about the case while a Secret Service agent bugs Frank's office telephone.
Kate takes Frank to Luther's town house to search for clues. Photographs of her indicate that Luther has secretly been watching her as she grew up, but she still suspects him of killing Christy, so she agrees to Frank's request that she meet with Luther. Frank guarantees Luther's safety, but Burton learns about the plan through the wiretap, and someone alerts Sullivan, who hires a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
(Richard Jenkins
Richard Jenkins
Richard Dale Jenkins is an American stage, film, and television actor. After beginning his career in theatre, Jenkins made his film debut in 1974, and appeared in supporting roles in numerous film productions in the 1980s and the 1990s. His breakthrough came in the 2000s for playing the deceased...
) to kill Luther. At the meeting, Collin and Sullivan's sniper, each unaware of the other, try to shoot Luther, but they both miss, and Luther escapes through the police cordon by posing as a police officer. Frank takes Kate back to her apartment. After he leaves, Luther comes out of hiding in the apartment, explains to Kate how Christy was killed, and leaves.
Luther taunts Russell by sending her a photograph of the letter opener and tricking her into wearing Christy's necklace in public. Correctly suspecting that Kate knows the truth, Richmond orders Collin and Burton to kill her. When Frank tells Luther that the Secret Service has taken over surveillance of Kate, Luther races back to DC to protect her. He arrives at her jogging area just moments after Collin pushes her and her car off a cliff. Collin tries to kill her again at the hospital, but Luther stops him, jabbing him with a poison-filled syringe Collin brought with him. When Collin pleads for mercy, Luther says he's "fresh out" and delivers the fatal dose.
After learning from Frank that Sullivan gave no reason why Christy stayed home (she had claimed to her husband - and to him only - that she was sick), Luther incapacitates Sullivan's chauffeur and drives Sullivan around Washington, telling him what happened on the night of the murder and explaining that Richmond incriminated himself in a speech by citing Christy's excuse for staying home, which he could only have learned from her. Luther gives Sullivan the letter opener and drops him off outside the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, and Sullivan sneaks the letter opener into Richmond's office.
Meanwhile, alerted by Luther that his phones are bugged, Frank goes to Burton's office. In remorse for the attempt on Kate, Burton has committed suicide and left evidence, which Frank uses to arrest Russell. Later, on the television news, Sullivan claims that the President committed suicide by stabbing himself to death. It is unrevealed whether Sullivan himself stabbed Richmond or if Richmond indeed committed suicide so as to avoid punishment for his crimes. The film ends as Luther watches Kate in her hospital room. After Frank visits briefly, Luther suggests to Kate that she invite Frank to dinner and draws a sketch of Kate.
Cast
- Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
as Luther Whitney - Gene HackmanGene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as President Alan Richmond - Ed HarrisEd HarrisEdward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
as Detective Seth Frank - Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
as Kate Whitney - Scott GlennScott GlennTheodore Scott Glenn is an American actor. His roles have included Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy , astronaut Alan Shepard in The Right Stuff ,Emmett in Silverado , Commander Bart Mancuso in The Hunt for Red October , Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs and The Wise Man in Sucker Punch -Early...
as Agent Bill Burton - Dennis HaysbertDennis HaysbertDennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...
as Agent Tim Collin - Judy DavisJudy DavisJudy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
as Chief of Staff Gloria Russell - E. G. MarshallE. G. MarshallE. G. Marshall was an American actor, best known for his television roles as the lawyer Lawrence Preston on The Defenders in the 1960s, and as neurosurgeon David Craig on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors in the 1970s...
as Walter Sullivan - Melora HardinMelora HardinMelora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
as Christy Sullivan - Kenneth WelshKenneth WelshKenneth Welsh, CM is a Canadian film and television actor . He is known to Twin Peaks fans as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle, and has more recently played the father of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.In 1984 he was nominated for a Genie Award as Best Actor for his...
as Sandy Lord - Penny Johnson as Laura Simon
- Richard JenkinsRichard JenkinsRichard Dale Jenkins is an American stage, film, and television actor. After beginning his career in theatre, Jenkins made his film debut in 1974, and appeared in supporting roles in numerous film productions in the 1980s and the 1990s. His breakthrough came in the 2000s for playing the deceased...
as Michael McCarty - Mark MargolisMark MargolisMark Margolis is an American actor who has been making films since 1976.Margolis went to Temple University briefly before moving to New York City, where he studied drama with Stella Adler and at the Actors Studio...
as Red Brandsford - Elaine Kagan as Valerie
Production
When Eastwood first heard about turning the book into a film, he liked the characters and the basic plot, but disliked the fact that most of whom he considered the interesting characters were killed off. When he talked to screenwriter William GoldmanWilliam Goldman
William Goldman is an American novelist, playwright, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.-Early life and education:...
, he requested Goldman make sure that "everyone the audience likes doesn't get killed off." Absolute Power was filmed between June and July 1996 in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland.
Differences between book and film
- The main protagonist in the novel is a young lawyer named Jack Graham, a good friend of Luther's and his daughter Kate's ex-boyfriend. He was completely omitted in the film adaptation.
- The physical features of the characters in the novel are significantly different than in the film: President Richmond is much younger (described as being in his early 40s), Gloria Russell is younger as well (38 years old), Agent Collin is caucasianCaucasian raceThe term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
as opposed to being African-American in the film, and Walter Sullivan is slightly older in the book than in the film. - Luther is caught by police instead of escaping when the snipers bungle their attempt to shoot him at his meeting with Kate, and then he is killed by Agent Collin while being brought into the courthouse for his arraignment.
- Walter Sullivan is killed 2/3 of the way through the book by Agent Burton after the president realizes that Sullivan has figured out, from the president's slip of the tongue about why Christy didn't go to Barbados, that the president was involved in her death.
- The novel's end is entirely different from that of the film: President Richmond is impeached and receives the death penalty, Gloria Russell receives 10 years probation rather than prison time in exchange for testifying against the president in court, Agent Collin is sentenced to 20 years in prison instead of being injected with poison by Luther, Agent Burton commits suicide in his home rather than his office, and Kate is not forced over a cliff in her car in the novel, but leaves Washington, D. C. and moves to Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Reception
The film received a mixed reaction from critics, with a score of 46% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. It was not a box office success domestically, grossing $16,770,220 on opening weekend. It had a total U.S. box office gross of $50,068,310, barely recouping its $50 million budget.