If there’s one thing multi-hyphenate Clint Eastwood understood about filmmaking, it’s how to craft compelling narratives. His career took on a whole new shape when he stepped behind the camera, helming perennial hits like The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino.
About Clint Eastwood’s ‘Absolute Power’
One of Eastwood’s directorial projects is poised to hit Tubi soon. Absolute Power is a deviation genre-wise from Eastwood’s beloved Westerns. A political crime thriller, the film follows a career thief who “witnesses a horrific crime involving U.S. President Alan Richmond,” in which a woman is killed by Secret Service agents. The movie adapts David Baldacci‘s 1996 book of the same name.
Absolute Power stars Eastwood as Luther Whitney, Gene Hackman as President Richmond, Ed Harris as Seth Frank, Laura Linney as Kate Whitney, Judy Davis as Gloria Russell, Scott Glenn as Bill Burton, E.G. Marshall as Walter Sullivan, Dennis Haysbert as Tim Collin, and Richard Jenkins as Michael McCarty. Eastwood directed from a script by William Goldman (who penned the screenplays for The Princess Bride and All the President’s Men).
Eastwood’s thriller debuted in theaters on Feb. 14, 1997. It was a commercial success, grossing $92.8 million on a $50 million budget. Absolute Power also skyrocketed to No. 1 at the Italian box office, where it reigned for nine consecutive weeks.
Critical reception was mixed all around. The New York Times wrote that “Eastwood directs a sensible-looking genre film with smooth expertise, but its plot is quietly berserk.” On Rotten Tomatoes, Absolute Power boasts 58% on the Tomatometer and 52% on the Popcornmeter—rare poor scores for an Eastwood flick. The review aggregator’s critics’ consensus reads thusly: “Absolute Power collapses under its preposterous plotting despite an all-star cast and Clint Eastwood’s deft direction.”
Coming Soon to Tubi
If you’re on the hunt for a non-Eastwood Western to watch or are hoping to reassess a film you potentially dislike, you can watch Absolute Power for free when it premieres on Tubi on Nov. 1.
