Absolute Power (film)
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- For the novel written by David Baldacci, see Absolute Power (novel).
| Absolute Power | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by | Clint Eastwood, Karen Spiegel |
| Written by | William Goldman David Baldacci (novel) |
| Starring | Clint Eastwood Gene Hackman Ed Harris Laura Linney Scott Glenn Dennis Haysbert Judy Davis |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures (later Warner Bros.) |
| Release date(s) | February 14, 1997 |
| Running time | 121 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million |
| IMDb profile | |
Absolute Power is a 1997 political thriller directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
Contents |
[edit] Featured cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Clint Eastwood | Luther Whitney |
| Gene Hackman | President Alan Richmond |
| Ed Harris | Detective Seth Frank |
| Laura Linney | Kate Whitney |
| Scott Glenn | Agent Bill Burton |
| Dennis Haysbert | Agent Tim Collin |
| Judy Davis | Chief of Staff Gloria Russell |
| E. G. Marshall | Walter Sullivan |
| Melora Hardin | Christy Sullivan |
| Richard Jenkins | Michael McCarty |
[edit] Plot summary
Thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) breaks into the home of billionaire Walter Sullivan (E.G. Marshall). When Sullivan's younger wife Christy arrives home unexpectedly with another man, Luther hides behind a one-way mirror and watches them engage in rough sex. When the man gets too rough, Christy defends herself with a letter opener. The man screams and two men enter and shoot Christy dead. They then clean up the scene of the crime and make it look as if a burglar killed her. Luther is discovered but not before he steals the letter opener with the woman's fingerprints and the man's blood...
...for that man is Alan Richmond, President of the United States and Luther is forced to go on the run. But when he sees the president on television, side-by-side with his friend Walter Sullivan, Luther vows to bring the president down.
[edit] 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 from that of 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 caucasian as opposed to being African-American in the film, and Walter Sullivan is slightly older in the book than in the film.
- The novel's end is entirely different from that of the film: President Richmond is either impeached or resigns (it is not clearly mentioned in the book) 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, Agent Burton commits suicide in his home rather than office, Luther is killed 2/3 through the book by Agent Collin, Walter Sullivan is killed halfway through the book by Agent Collin as well, and Kate is not forced over a cliff in her car in the novel, but leaves Washington, D. C. and moves to Atlanta, Georgia.
[edit] Box office
- Opening weekend U.S. gross: $16,770,220
- Total U.S. box office gross: $50,068,310
