Resolution 9 - Clint Eastwood Quest - 50% Complete

I never heard of today's film, 1997's Absolute Power, I am covering for the Clint Eastwood resolution blog entry today before buying this BluRay collection it was a part of. Not even two minutes into it I was hooked as I was introduced to Eastwood's character, Luther Whitney, a retired Korean War vet turned cat burglar vet. Whitney is in a routine heist when someone with....absolute power (Gene Hackman)....stumbles in and becomes part of a greater crime right in front of Whitney.

Of course, the movie turns into an edge of your seat mystery thriller where I was just jonesin' to see which direction it would go in next, and I was constantly kept guessing on every twist and turn the mystery took. Would Whitney break the perfect cover for his heist to expose this crime, or would vice versa happen upon him, or would ace detective Seth Frank (Ed Harris) manage to figure it all out and bring everyone to justice?

Eastwood is once again outstanding. Of course I am biased towards him, but the man is just so damn convincing with every line of dialogue that trickles out of him. Do not mess with Eastwood or he will seek revenge! When the bad guys try to mess with Luther, you cannot help yourself but to get behind the antihero. Like the last film I covered here, Dirty Harry, there are several standout quotable moments, but this time delivered in a far less hokey and quite deadly serious type of way that really made an impact with me at the film's pivotal moments.

The last time a mystery/crime film had its hooks in me this good was The Town, and exactly like that film I just loved how this kept me on my toes on how everything unfolded and played out. I cannot think of a single role that was miscast, as everyone brought their A game, especially with Eastwood, Hackman and Harris being absolutely amazing in their roles. For a little while I was surprised to see 24's Mr. and Mrs. President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert and Penny Johnson) in this film in supporting roles I never saw them in before, just a few years before they were brought to the mainstream as the first couple in one of my all time favorite cable dramas.

As if you could not tell already, Absolute Power is an easy recommendation! Especially if you find yourself craving a good mystery/crime drama, then go right this instant add this to your Netflix Queue now! It is not on streaming unfortunately, just the disc, but if you want to follow along on the Clint Eastwood collection fun with me, here is a link to the box set I have off Amazon.

Past Eastwood Collection Blogs

Dirty Harry
Kelly's Heroes
Where Eagles Dare
Gran Torino