Absolute Power

With the star-studded talents of Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris and E.G. Marshall, this political thriller, based on David Baldacci's bestseller, should at least pack a chilling punch, right? Wrong. Luther Whitney (Eastwood), a master jewel thief, plans the perfect burglary: a mansion loaded with cash and jewelry all owned by an out-of-town, elderly billionaire (Marshall). However, while Whitney is grabbing the goods from the secret closet of the master bedroom, the billionaire's young wife appears and drunkenly flirts with a middle-aged man (Gene Hackman), who happens to be the President of the United States. When the foreplay turns cruel and kinky, the woman ends up dead. Police investigator Ed Harris tries to put the pieces together, while the President's chief of staff (Judy Davis) does the whole Whitewater thing. Eventually, Whitney's morality kicks in, as he tries to uncover the scandal without getting caught. Absolute Power takes off with tantalizing suspense, but soon falls flat. The good fun, though, lies in the likeness of our real-life President's own rumored infidelity, making for an interesting political parody. Optional. (M. K. Lau)