True Crime

Rating:
Summary: Clint Is Still Number One
Review: Clint Eastwood's 1999 release, True Crime, was based on an Andrew Klavan novel and filmed in a style that reminds me of movies made in the late 70's or 80's. As I watched the first few minutes, my first thought was that poor Clint was to old to portray the part of Steve Everett and this movie had been a waste of money. At first, it actually kind of "creeped me out" watching him come on to the beautiful young women in the movie, but you cannot always judge the movie by your first impressions. Steve Everett is a cheating husband, a horrible father, a recovering alcoholic, and a womanizer, but he is, first and foremost, a newspaper reporter with a "nose" for the truth. His boss, Bob Findley (Denis Leary), assigns him to cover an execution as a human-interest story. Bob has a hard time working with Steve, knowing that Steve has been sleeping with his wife, and struggles to maintain a professional office relationship. Steve has a hunch that Frank Beechum (Isaiah Washington), a black man convicted of the murder of a pregnant white girl, is innocent, but only has one day to come up with evidence before the execution takes place as scheduled. The plot to this movie is predictable and has been done in other movies many times, but Clint Eastwood's skill as a director turns this otherwise "dog" into a suspenseful thrill ride. The performances of Isaiah Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton are precise and moving. James Woods is hilarious and Francesca Fisher Eastwood, Clint Eastwood's daughter in real life, is adorable. Michael Jeter, Michael McKean, Bernard Hill, and Diane Venora also give great performances and help make True Crime a very good movie that is definitely worth 127 minutes of your time. Oh, and about my first impressions, I was wrong, Clint is not too old for the part or the beautiful young women. Clint is still number one.

Rating:
Summary: Clint Is Still Number One
Review: Clint Eastwood's 1999 release, True Crime, was based on an Andrew Klavan novel and filmed in a style that reminds me of movies made in the late 70's or 80's. As I watched the first few minutes, my first thought was that poor Clint was to old to portray the part of Steve Everett and this movie had been a waste of money. At first, it actually kind of "creeped me out" watching him come on to the beautiful young women in the movie, but you cannot always judge the movie by your first impressions. Steve Everett is a cheating husband, a horrible father, a recovering alcoholic, and a womanizer, but he is, first and foremost, a newspaper reporter with a "nose" for the truth. His boss, Bob Findley (Denis Leary), assigns him to cover an execution as a human-interest story. Bob has a hard time working with Steve, knowing that Steve has been sleeping with his wife, and struggles to maintain a professional office relationship. Steve has a hunch that Frank Beechum (Isaiah Washington), a black man convicted of the murder of a pregnant white girl, is innocent, but only has one day to come up with evidence before the execution takes place as scheduled. The plot to this movie is predictable and has been done in other movies many times, but Clint Eastwood's skill as a director turns this otherwise "dog" into a suspenseful thrill ride. The performances of Isaiah Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton are precise and moving. James Woods is hilarious and Francesca Fisher Eastwood, Clint Eastwood's daughter in real life, is adorable. Michael Jeter, Michael McKean, Bernard Hill, and Diane Venora also give great performances and help make True Crime a very good movie that is definitely worth 127 minutes of your time. Oh, and about my first impressions, I was wrong, Clint is not too old for the part or the beautiful young women. Clint is still number one.

Rating:
Summary: Eastwood Genius
Review: Eastwood climbs off of his hero's horse and delivers a brilliant performance as a degenerate newspaper reporter with a talent for "smelling" the truth.Once again, Clint puts together a stunning supporting cast. People fail to see the genius in Eastwood because of the subtle way in which he goes about his acting/directing. Though not of the caliber of "Unforgiven", this is a must see, tip of your toes thriller, starring the most popular actor in history ( he edged out John Wayne 2 yrs. ago). C.B.

Rating:
Summary: good plot; good reality check; bad acting
Review: Eastwood has done better. This movie disappointed me. i heard a guy when i left the theatre say: "Eastwood can act? Yeah. And my dog meows like a fish."

Rating:
Summary: EASTWOOD'S "SEX APPEAL" IS ANYTHING BUT APPEALING
Review: Eastwood literally made me sick with shirt off, wrinkled skin etc. YUK. The story is okay, quite predictable but Eastwood ruins every scene he is in. Very unnatural acting -- I have never thought much of him as an actor but here he is at his worst.

Rating:
Summary: Eastwood returns to directing
Review: Eastwood's directorial debut was "The Unforgiven", a stylistic return to the glory days of the western. This time he has entered a new one, films about the death penalty. Eastwood plays a barely-sober hack newspaper reporter. His character is very enigmatic, although I think that was much more to do with Clint than with the story. He is walking a fine line between being a brilliant asset to the paper and being fired. You see, he has a tendancy to go on crusades, and he is about to embark on a fresh one with his current writing assignment. His job is to write a "human interest sidebar" about the execution of an accused murderer. The problem is, Clint thinks he's innocent. Is Clint stupid for going off half cocked? Is he just being reckless with his career, or is he brave in standing up for what he beleives is right? These are the questions the film asks us to contemplate as Eastwood gets clues and revelations about the case. I like to see Eastwood in this type of role, which is quite similar to that burgler one a few years ago. A low key guy struggling with his role in life. Quiet and subdued, he constantly wonders about what is the right thing to do. I was never a fan of "Dirty Harry", or those Sergio Leone films. We see a rare raw side of Clint Eastwood the man here, instead of Clint Eastwood the cardboard cutout. The title says it all, this is realistic, not superhero fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: Eastwood returns to directing
Review: Eastwood's directorial debut was "The Unforgiven", a stylistic return to the glory days of the western. This time he has entered a new one, films about the death penalty. Eastwood plays a barely-sober hack newspaper reporter. His character is very enigmatic, although I think that was much more to do with Clint than with the story. He is walking a fine line between being a brilliant asset to the paper and being fired. You see, he has a tendancy to go on crusades, and he is about to embark on a fresh one with his current writing assignment. His job is to write a "human interest sidebar" about the execution of an accused murderer. The problem is, Clint thinks he's innocent. Is Clint stupid for going off half cocked? Is he just being reckless with his career, or is he brave in standing up for what he beleives is right? These are the questions the film asks us to contemplate as Eastwood gets clues and revelations about the case. I like to see Eastwood in this type of role, which is quite similar to that burgler one a few years ago. A low key guy struggling with his role in life. Quiet and subdued, he constantly wonders about what is the right thing to do. I was never a fan of "Dirty Harry", or those Sergio Leone films. We see a rare raw side of Clint Eastwood the man here, instead of Clint Eastwood the cardboard cutout. The title says it all, this is realistic, not superhero fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: an innocent man
Review: Great movie! It was suspenseful. The name true crime was so fitting. You read about men sitting on death row and they're innocent. Steve (Clint Eastwood) having the affair with his bosses wife, that really happens.. Sound track featuring Johnny Hartman was perfect.

Rating:
Summary: remake of CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948)
Review: I agree with all of the criticisms, especially of Clint Eastwood's appearance (get a new hair & makeup man, Clint, or at least look in a mirror), especially since he looked just right, & his romance was believeable in: IN THE LINE OF FIRE.But this movie is a lot of fun, and compelling, too-the journalists are overpaid crumbs, but they always are. Ditto the law enforcement establishment. But the on-scene crime investigation he does, the bits and pieces he fits together are just as thrilling, and even more compelling, than what Jimmy Stewart did in the same role in CALL NORTHSIDE 777.All these things are so well done, and the prisoner and his family so unique and real, that you wonder if the rest of the film is a mess, or just a comment on the reporter (Clint Eastwood's) messed up life. In contrast, the death row prisoner has his life in order and is a clear, compelling personality, a worthy successor to Richard Conte's portrayal of the lifer in CALL NORTHSIDE 777. In the 1948 film, Jimmy Stewart seemed to have it made in a comfy marriage to a lovely woman, so maybe Clint Eastwood's fractured life just reflects present-day realities. But the fascinating thing in both films is how the freewheeling reporter characters bounce their egos off the helpless convicts', and seem to have met their match in courage and screen charisma.

Rating:
Summary: a remake of CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948)
Review: I agree with all of the criticisms, especially of Clint Eastwood's appearance (get a new hair & makeupman, Clint, or at least look in a mirror), especially since he looked just right, & his romance was believeable in: IN THE LINE OF FIRE.But this movie is a lot of fun, and compelling, too-the journalists are overpaid crumbs, but they always are. Ditto the law enforcement establishment. But the on-scene crime investigation he does, the bits and pieces he fits together are just as thrilling, and even more compelling, than what Jimmy Stewart did in the same role in CALL NORTHSIDE 777.All these things are so well done, and the prisoner and his family so unique and real, that you wonder if the rest of the film is a mess, or just a comment on the reporter (Clint Eastwood's) messed up life. In contrast, the death row prisoner has his life in order and is a clear, compelling personality, a worthy successor to Richard Conte's portrayal of the lifer in CALL NORTHSIDE 777. In the 1948 film, Jimmy Stewart seemed to have it made in a comfy marriage to a lovely woman, so maybe Clint Eastwood's fractured life just reflects present-day realities. But the fascinating thing in both films is how the freewheeling reporter characters bounce their egos off the helpless convict's, and seem to have met their match in courage and screen charisma.