Gloria Russell: Allen, did you have sex with her?
Allen Richmond: I... I don't know.
Gloria Russell: Bill, I need you to examine her.
Bill Burton: I'm no gynecologist.
Gloria Russell: I just made you one!
Bill Burton: Oh, Christ...
In his career, Clint Eastwood has directed some of his best movies. For example, The Outlaw Josie Wales, Unforgiven, A Perfect World and The Bridges of Madison County were all done by Eastwood. He has recently been married to Dina Ruiz in March of last year. Then he made a mistake: Absolute Power.
Although this film had some interesting grounds for a potentially good plot, its gaping holes and poor character development left Absolute Power in the dark, which was where Luther Whitney (Eastwood) spent the first half hour or so of the film. As one of the best thieves of the past 50 years, Whitney was on another routine job, stealing a few million dollars of jewels and cash. However, unexpectedly, the owner returns with a man, and both are drunk. It turns out that he witnesses the President of the United States beat the woman and the secret service murder her in cold blood.
Then, Whitney sees the chief of staff try to cover up the murder and make it look like the girl stumbled on an attempted robbery. However, she and the secret service men leave behind a key piece of evidence: a letter opener with the president's blood and fingerprints on it. After they leave, Whitney takes the knife and escapes out the window.
So it is up to veteran police lieutenant Frank James (Ed Harris, The Rock) to solve the case and he suspects foul play. And foul is exactly the way the game is played, as Whitney leads him on a wild goose chase to the truth.
Now the plot sounds very interesting and rather original. However, the disappointing final conflict comes down to a press covered event between an old man and the President. You have to see the film to know what I'm talking about, but if you have, you're probably as disappointed as me.
Most of the characters were atrociously put together. Harris' character was a pathetic single cop, with a likeness for Whitney's daughter, Kate (Laura Linney, Congo). She, too, could've been more explained, although her fondness for her father is played out rather well. The President himself (Gene Hackman, The Birdcage) was a poorly developed character. The only really excellent characters were Eastwood's Whitney, a conflicting father and artist with "great hands," and secret service agent Bill Burton (Scott Glenn, Courage Under Fire). He ends up confronting himself when faced with the question, "Do you love your country?," which is also very interesting to see played out.
