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Absolute Power

EMAILPRINTColumbia Pictures

Absolute Power reviews
52
6.3 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Crime  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: David Baldacci (book)
William Goldman

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Release Date:
Theatrical: February 14, 1997
DVD: February 1, 2000

Running Time: 121 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for violence, sexuality and language

Starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, Judy Davis, and E.G. Marshall

He was where he shouldn't have been, saw what he shouldn't have seen. But who'll believe the word of a career thief and ex-con (Eastwood) when he says he saw a woman killed -- and that the man responsible is the President of the United States? (Warner Bros)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A first-rate thriller about arrogance at the top.

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90

Newsweek David Ansen

Eastwood is at his effortless, slyboots best and the film is as preposterous as it is delightful.

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88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A tight, taut thriller with a twist.

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80

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Sleek and satisfying....Almost a drawing room thriller, unhurried and genteel but enlivened with suspense and surprising bursts of sly, even biting, humor.

75

San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser

Eastwood is perfect as the bad guy (a thief) you root for.

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75

ReelViews James Berardinelli

A fairly routine thriller that gets high marks as a result of tight pacing and top-notch acting.

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70

Variety Todd McCarthy

Eastwood is in good, sly form, once again delighting in a character's splendid solitude and singular skill at what he does.

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70

Time Richard Corliss

The warming, nicely played relationship of the burglar and his lawyer daughter (Laura Linney) is the source of the film's absolute power. [24 Feb 1997, p. 67]

63

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

The content is eminently forgettable but the thing has definitely got style.

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60

Empire Angie Errigo

A film that is entertaining but not seriously absorbing.

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60

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

Flies into the improbable at its big moments. [17 Mar 1997, p. 28]

60

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Eastwood directs a sensible-looking genre film with smooth expertise, but its plot is quietly berserk.

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50

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Glum and depersonalized, as if Eastwood couldn't muster the energy to guide us through this maze of improbable twists. [14 Feb 1997, p. 39]

50

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

An old man's movie, filled with regret over things lost, corrupted and spoiled.

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50

USA Today Mike Clark

Eastwood gutsily stages the extended opening slowly and methodically... [But u]nintentional yuks litter an otherwise somber political thriller adapted from David Baldacci's novel.

40

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

A piece of cheese without much flavor.

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40

The Onion (A.V. Club) John Krewson

A murky, often confusing story riddled with half-hearted performances, erratic characters, and too many cliched lines and situations.

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40

The New Yorker Bruce Diones

A sombre, boring little thriller based on David Baldacci's ridiculous right-wing best-seller.

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20

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Devolves into such utter ludicrousness, the best response (other than avoiding the thing in the first place) is to laugh.

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20

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Promises to speed up the pacemakers of grumpy old Republicans with its ruthless indictment of the unzipped presidency.

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20

Salon.com Charles Taylor

The embodiment of every conservative paranoid's slathering fantasies about Paula Jones, Vince Foster and Whitewater.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Pat C. gave it a5:
Unusual premise, good drama in the one-way mirror scene, but eventually the film just drags and is unenlightened and predictable.

Steve H. gave it a6:
A promising idea for a film - a crook witnesses a crime, so who will believe him? - this rather runs out of steam, so that after an hour or so I was reduced to just waiting to see how they sorted it out in the end. Clint Eastwood, as usual, manages to make even a fairly stock character interesting, but in the end I couldn't be persuaded to care.

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