Absolute power and absolute darkness

Dereck 2022-02-13 08:01:33

There are many reasons to watch "Absolute Power": Clint Eastwood directed and acted by himself, and the cast includes Gene Hackman (Coppola's "Eavesdropping Conspiracy"), Ed Harris ("Brave Crush Death Island"), Laura Linni ("Trumen's World"), etc. These reasons are sufficient, but the film did not meet the huge expectations they produced together. At this time, I have to take a step back and say that watching those actors is a kind of enjoyment in itself. Moreover, the film is not terribly bad. Putting the film into Clint's career as a director, there is no doubt that this is an unqualified performance.

The tone of the film is retro. The protagonist is a Jiangyang thief, but he plays a heroic role in the story. He has a dark past, participated in wars, theft, and went to jail. Needless to say, the villains are not only gloomy in the past, their present is extremely dirty. It is a style of individual heroism to stand alone against a powerful group. The most striking thing is naturally the setting of the villain, who is the president of the United States. Setting the president as a murderer and an unrighteous person who snatches the wife of a friend is bold. The image of the president in "Shadow Writer" is also like a clown, but more of a manipulative doll-like character; the image of the president in "Absolute Power" is a full criminal. "Shadow Writer" is a terrifying and suspenseful political allegory, while "Absolute Power" directly pierces the hypocrisy and political hypocrisy of the US president.

Logically, the film is not as rigorous and advancing step by step as "Shadow Writer". To put it bluntly, the plot of "Absolute Power" can be said to be simple and crude. Of course, this film is not a film that focuses on suspense and horror. The relationship between the father played by Clint and the daughter played by Laura Linni is the main line. The emotional change between father and daughter is the focus of the film. The icy relationship between them melted and happened after the fight against the presidential group. This is not just the victory of justice over evil, but the daughter’s acceptance of the father shows that the father has accomplished his own. Salvation.

Examine several important props and plot turns from the beginning. The paper scraper at the crime scene, the killer ordered by Sullivan appeared at the meeting place, and the reflection of the glass prevented Luther played by Clint from dying. These props or plots are followed by important plots. The scraper forgotten by the presidential staff becomes an important prop. This setting is a bit sloppy in crime films. In the back, Sullivan killed the president with this knife. The effect here was not bad, and it strengthened the pleasure of revenge. The reflection of the glass is an accidental setting, as light as a pediatric.

It is not that the film must reject contingency. All dramatic conflicts are actually the result of contingency. For example, most of the comedic effects in comedy films are made by coincidence. In art films, contingency is the motif of some movies. For example, one accident caused the entire event, Gus Van Sant’s "Psychedelic Park", Michael Haneke’s "Unknown Code" and so on. However, in genre films, good stories and plots should try to eliminate the abruptness brought about by chance, so that the audience feels that the continuity of the plot should be very natural and logical. "Absolute Power" is obviously not doing well in this regard. Even though the focus of the old cowboy is father-daughter love, the plot turn cannot but be criticized.

A thief with a dark past, against a presidential team with absolute power, this kind of revealing dark story is very pleasing. Luther is omnipotent and unscathed in the end, while the policeman played by Ed Harris has a sense of morality and lack of intelligence. In this setting of the film, Luther's rivalry with the president and the police is not balanced in intelligence. As usual, such a setting is difficult to generate sparks. Only evenly matched duopoly or triangle contests can create a strong fight. However, due to the special identity of the villain, we will forgive a lot of this setting. We would like to see in the movie that the powerful group represented by the president receives due retribution, but in reality, we believe even more that the powerful power they represent cannot be confronted. This is a dream-making journey, and Clint has realized a successful anti-shadow action on our behalf.

The plot is mediocre and far-fetched. Due to the performance of actors such as Clint, this movie was saved to a certain extent, allowing it to be reluctantly drawn from the lineup of third-rate movies and included in second-rate movies.

View more about Absolute Power reviews

Extended Reading
  • Mariela 2022-03-15 09:01:04

    Xu Zidong: Local government architectural style reflects inner power worship Xu Zidong: Local government architectural style reflects inner power worship http://phtv.ifeng.com/program/qqsrx/detail_2012_06/16/15347399_0.shtml

  • Elissa 2022-03-27 09:01:10

    The world's most boring old cowboy movie..

Absolute Power quotes

  • Luther Whitney: When you're alone at night, and your rage takes over and you want an avenger, what face do you put with your enemy?

  • [last lines]

    Kate Whitney: Am I gonna be alright?

    Luther Whitney: Yeah. We're gonna be just fine.