In the midst of the White House Trilogy of scandals for 2013, this movie just seemed to fit the bill. As L. Shirley said in the headline of her review for this, it's "Clint vs. The White House...Who Will Win?...Well, You Know!"
This is your typical Clint Eastwood character--not someone especially filled with virtue--especially the virtue we'd expect to find in a hero. He is his usual rough, cantankerous, "do not bother me" and "do not bother with me" loner that he is so good at portraying. Falling back on his skill as one of the top six known thieves, in the midst of a huge heist he finds himself face-to-face with being a witness to murder by the US President and two of his Secret Service agents. Although his initial instinct is to run and skip the country, his sense of justice for the victim and the criminal, that he has always portrayed in his own peculiar way, keeps him set as he unravels the "how to" bring the President and his staff to justice. He makes progress in a way that Washington never could or would with such an issue, as we are witnessing! It's all filled with suspense--something he does so well, especially as Director. It seems a good morale-booster also at this time.
His somewhat heartless attitude towards life, family, etc. gets overcome in the process of this whole affair. What could be seen as cynical and selfish, with obvious shortage of affection in the sparse interactions that have made up his relationship with his daughter over decades, kind of explodes into the deep moving love for her that has remained hidden, but now has the opportunity to move to the surface. Yeah! The same kind of smokescreen we've seen before, but when cleared away reveals his true character, and what his ultimate priorities and values are.
It's a great movie. It's a thriller! I put it up there with some of his best.
I have always loved Clint Eastwood's acting. I now love his directing. This is another one of his movies like
Gran Torino (Widescreen Edition)
in which we get both!
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Reviews with images
Roger Ebert gave it 3 1/2 Stars Out of 4 in 1997, but I gave it 5 STARS
Roger Ebert gave it 3 1/2 Stars Out of 4 in 1997. Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a burglar who breaks into a mansion in the dead of night and penetrates a hidden room filled with diamonds and cash. He's interrupted in the middle of his work by visitors. Hiding behind a two-way mirror, he sees a man and woman having sex. The play turns rough, the man beats her, the woman stabs him, and two men burst in and shoot her dead. Clint Eastwood as Luther Whitney, Gene Hackman as President Richmond, Ed Harris as Seth Frank, Laura Linney as Kate Whitney, Scott Glenn as Bill Burton, Dennis Haysbert as Tim Collin, E.G. Marshall as Walter Sullivan, Richard Jenkins as Michael McCarty, AN ALL STAR CAST. Judy Davis as Gloria Russel, the ONLY DUD in the Cast.Eastwood at his Best
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2013
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Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
Top reviews from other countries
Helmut Radl
echt super Streifen - Clint Eastwood in Bestform
Reviewed in Germany on February 10, 2014