And yet more Clint Eastwood completism. Again he produced, directed and starred. The script by William Goldman, adapting the book by David Baldacci, is the weakest I can remember for any of his productions. Clint plays a jewellery thief in Washington D.C. — a subtle cat burglar to James Caan's sweaty industrial bank robber of the previous decade — with no love interests! Laura Linney is his prosecutor/daughter, Ed Harris an investigating cop, and Gene Hackman the absolutely-empowered President. Judy Davis is his chief-of-staff in one of her weaker performances. The plot is mostly nonsensical but Americans do like exploring the what-ifs of their political system. Once again the 1990s overrated the political impact of sex scandals.
Roger Ebert: three-and-a-half stars. Janet Maslin.
