Absolute Power
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: February 14, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
9
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A first-rate thriller about arrogance at the top. Read full review
90
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Eastwood is at his effortless, slyboots best and the film is as preposterous as it is delightful. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A tight, taut thriller with a twist. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Sleek and satisfying....Almost a drawing room thriller, unhurried and genteel but enlivened with suspense and surprising bursts of sly, even biting, humor.
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A fairly routine thriller that gets high marks as a result of tight pacing and top-notch acting. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
Eastwood is perfect as the bad guy (a thief) you root for. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Corliss
The warming, nicely played relationship of the burglar and his lawyer daughter (Laura Linney) is the source of the film's absolute power. [24 Feb 1997, p. 67]
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Eastwood is in good, sly form, once again delighting in a character's splendid solitude and singular skill at what he does. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The content is eminently forgettable but the thing has definitely got style. Read full review
60
EmpireAngie Errigo
A film that is entertaining but not seriously absorbing. Read full review
60
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Flies into the improbable at its big moments. [17 Mar 1997, p. 28]
60
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Eastwood directs a sensible-looking genre film with smooth expertise, but its plot is quietly berserk. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Glum and depersonalized, as if Eastwood couldn't muster the energy to guide us through this maze of improbable twists. [14 Feb 1997, p. 39]
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
An old man's movie, filled with regret over things lost, corrupted and spoiled. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
Eastwood gutsily stages the extended opening slowly and methodically... [But u]nintentional yuks litter an otherwise somber political thriller adapted from David Baldacci's novel.
40
The A.V. ClubJohn Krewson
A murky, often confusing story riddled with half-hearted performances, erratic characters, and too many cliched lines and situations. Read full review
40
The New YorkerBruce Diones
A sombre, boring little thriller based on David Baldacci's ridiculous right-wing best-seller. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
A piece of cheese without much flavor. Read full review
20
SalonCharles Taylor
The embodiment of every conservative paranoid's slathering fantasies about Paula Jones, Vince Foster and Whitewater. Read full review
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Devolves into such utter ludicrousness, the best response (other than avoiding the thing in the first place) is to laugh. Read full review
20
Washington PostRita Kempley
Promises to speed up the pacemakers of grumpy old Republicans with its ruthless indictment of the unzipped presidency. Read full review
More From This Movie

52 Critic Reviews

6.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL