Don't look for Dirty Harry here
Absolute Power is about corruption - absolute power corrupts absolutely. Eastwood directs himself in this story of a very professional burglar who finds himself trapped in a closet while a murder is committed in the presence of none other than the American President. What is interesting about this fairly predictable plot is that he seems interested in portraying NOT Dirty Harry. The now aging Luther, having done his time and paid his debt to society, wants nothing more than to reconnect with his only child, a very successful attorney. She, on the other hand, disdains his overtures, knowing a tiger cannot change his stripes. The detective on the murder case convinces her to contact Luther; but, not surprisingly, the bad guys have tapped her phone.
Seeing Clint's softer, human side was a pleasure. If you study his real life, you know he is highly intelligent and concerned with the good of others, and it's satisfying to see those qualities on the screen.

Why would he stab himself?????
Absolute Power DVD

Absolute Power, based on the book, Absolute Power was made in 1997(remember that date). In the movie Clint Eastwood plays a master thief who steals to support his art. He happens to break into a Washington D.C. mansion to burglarize the walk-in safe when he witnesses the murder of a very powerful man's wife through the one-way mirror.

Eastwood directs and produced this movie. One wonders if he was, also, the key grip for the movie, whatever that is.

Remember the date? Guess who was President then. Hint, his initials were W.J.C.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive.

Highly recommended for fans of Clint Eastwood.

Gunner March 2008

It has something missing
First, I must say that I am a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, since his early days as the man with no name.....
I bought this movie without even watching it once, I saw the actors list and read the plot on the back of the dvd and thought to myself "This got to be the hell of a movie".
After finishing I didn't think the same. I mean, it has great actors and the story is great but it has something missing for my opinion, things get smooth really easy at the end.
However I haven't regreted the fact of buying it, is a good movie, not just as good as you could imagine.
The caracter played by Eastwood is, opposite to what you may think a great father, and he would do anything to protect his daughter.
Ed Hackman's caracter is a coward hidding behind secret services... I love him when he loses (like in Runaway Jury for example).

Anyway, just watch the movie and since is a Eastwood movie, you already know who will win at the end........

Totally unbelievable but still great cinema !
This film is one of my all time Clint Eastwood favorites. He plays the kind of semi bad guy that you root for. You almost hope he pulls off the big heist and gets away with it and lives happily ever after because he is Clint. If you can accept the fact that this plot borders on total fantasy, could never happen and defies logic time and time again, you will enjoy the scenario. Lennie Niehaus' film score is perfect in creating the eery and sinister mood throughout the film and Clint's own playing of the piano theme is beautiful and haunting. Gene Hackman as the president is truly the screen's best on screen bad guy and Ed Harris is his usual natural and believable self as the "live alone" head detective. With that being said you must ask yourself: Why and how were the president's trysts unaccounted for by his staff and the media? When E.G. Marshall's wife was murdered there was apparently no investigation even though he was very prominent. When Clint met his daughter at the outside cafe the whole area was surrounded by police but apparently Clint didn't see any of them. When the secret service man was killed in the hospital apparently no questions were asked and no investigation took place and Clint was never a suspect. When the president presumably committed suicide E.G. Marshall was never suspected even though he was the only witness and no questions were asked why the president fatally stabbed himself at that specific time. Minor details, right?

Toughreviewer

Kind of Cheesy
I usually love Clint Eastwood movies and was looking forward to watching this one, which has such a stellar cast. But Absolute Power is not up to Eastwood's usual standards. The writing is kind of cheesy, the end is both predictable and absurd (which is not an easy feat) and all the fine actors in it can't save such bad material.