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The story (from Andrew Klavan's bestselling novel) gives Everett the last-minute assignment of interviewing a condemned man (Isaiah Washington) on the eve of his execution. The prisoner, a born-again Christian and exemplary family man, has everything the reporter lacks except a shot at seeing the next sunrise. Everett sets out to get him that, yet far from making a beeline to the exculpatory evidence that will save the life of his "client," this very tarnished hero has to spend a lot of the next 24 hours contending with the baggage he's accumulated through drinking, wenching, and familial neglect. (A Pirandellian note: Everett's daughter is played by Eastwood's own daughter, Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, and her mother, Frances Fisher, returns for a feisty cameo as a prosecutor.)
This is a good one that got away. Don't let it happen again. -- Richard T. Jameson
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clint Is Still Number One,
By Levan Guinn (in the woods near Belle Mo.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: True Crime (VHS Tape)
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.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Awful!,
By Mr. Einstein (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: True Crime (Widescreen) (DVD)
I was astounded that a major studio/star cast could make such a worthless film. The plot is as old as the hills: innocent man wrongfully convicted of murder awaits excecution on death row - innocent man is saved at the last minute by the good guy(s). This movie gives you cheating wives, cheating husbands, irresponsible fathers, paper thin plot, superficial characters, and boring dialog. I totally lost my respect for Clint Eastwood after viewing this - and "Unforgiven" is one of my all time favorite films! How can a person be so inconsistent? (I think I know the answer; it's called "a slump.")
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A RACE TO THE FINISH,
By
This review is from: True Crime (Widescreen) (DVD)
Okay, let's get two sore points out of the way: Yes, Clint is really a little too old for the leading role, especially in pairing him with such young ladies; and yes, James Woods goes way over top in his cartoonish role as Alan, the editor in chief. But, aside from that TRUE CRIME is an astounding work for the director Eastwood. The real stars of the picture, however, are Isaiah Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton. As the doomed but innocent Frank Beecham, Washington controls his performance, making him both heartbreakingly real. No overacting here. He uses his face, his body, his voice to convey the hopelessness and fear of his impending execution for a crime he did commit. Hamilton as his wife, Bonnie, has a very demanding role, and her grip on this character is unbelievably subtle and intense. Some real tear-jerking scenes in this one. Hard to believe Washington and Hamilton were overlooked at Oscar time. Denis Leary is exceptionally good as Eastwood's boss who finds out his wife is sleeping with Eastwood. Leary could have taken this over the top, but he again controls the anguish, jealousy (both professionally and personally), and doesn't resort to familiar tactics. Bernard Hill as the warden, Michael Jeter as a key witness, and Michael McKean as a really scuzzy minister also do well.Also, the lovely song voiced by Diana Krall, should have made it to the Oscar nominations too! Her voice reflects the hopelessness and despair of the film's script. The writers should also be commended for its faithfulness to Andrew Klavin's excellent novel. A very good film and worth seeing. IT MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY.
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