Rating:
The Info
Directed by: Clint
Eastwood
Written by: Larry
Gross, Paul Brickman, Stephen Schiff (novel by Andrew Klavan)
Starring: Clint Eastwood,
Isaiah Washington, Denis Leary, Lisa Gay Hamilton, James Woods
Produced by: Clint
Eastwood, Lili Fini Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck
The Nutshell
A washed-up reporter thinks a man on Death Row is innocent, and has less than 24 hours to prove it.
The Review
They say that all of the best stories have been told, which explains why so many films today have a deja-vu feeling to them. While I don't know who "they" are, films like True Crime make me agree with them. There is nothing in the story of Clint Eastwood's new picture that is new or exciting. The film is a good example of the perils an actor faces when he directs himself on the screen too many times; you can start to lose the objectivity of a director when you are your own star. Your characters become bloated with extra personality quirks, interesting stories to tell other characters, and minor flaws. The court calls upon Steve Everett, Eastwood's character in True Crime, as evidence.
Everett is a washed-up reporter who has sunk to the level of tabloid trash. His career took a downturn because he once launched a massive investigation into the case of a rapist who he believed was innocent. He was wrong and lost his standing with his peers. Now he is a womanizing drunk who hasn't found a real news scoop in months. This kind of character has so many facets and implausible past exploits that the average film-goer doesn't buy it. From start to finish Steve Everett is obviously just Clint Eastwood trying to play the damaged hero.
This wouldn't be as problematic if the plot was well-written; alas, it is not. Everett gets assigned to write a "human-interest" piece about a man slated to die by lethal injection in twelve hours. Of course, Everett starts snooping into the case and thinks the man is innocent. In a matter of hours, he manages to uncover several facts that put the case against Frank Beachum (Washington) in an unsure light. He stumbles onto clues, with one minor character literally stepping on one with his foot, saying "Hey, is this important?" Couple this to a key character who goes through an unexplainable change of heart, and a series of as-if's "But how could you have witnessed the shooting when there was a potato chip stand between you?" (Everett notices marks on the floor of a convenience store where a chip stand had stood years earlier) Right.
The film is saved by a man who has single-handedly saved films from oblivion before: James Woods (he was the only good thing about John Carpenter's Vampires). Woods is an incredibly gifted actor, and as Alan Mann, the publisher of the newspaper Everett writes for, he steals every scene he appears in. Mann is loud, crass and smart; while he cannot believe that Everett actually can find proof of Beachum's innocence, he is smart enough to let him try. Unlike editor Bob Findley (Leary), who is dull and boring, Mann is a riot. One scene in particular, involving all three men, is priceless as Everett and Findley argue and yell at each other while Mann sits back and throws wisecracks in, enjoying the spectacle in his office. You can almost see Woods and Eastwood rehearsing their lines together, laughing uncontrollably at the great lines they get to say. If only Mr. Woods were the star. Oh well.
As the countdown to Beachum's death nears zero and Everett gets closer to finding the truth, you just know that whatever happens, it will come down to the final five seconds of Beachum's life. Like the clicheed ticking time-bomb, Beachum's execution is unclimactic and uninspiring. While Washington and Lisa Gay Hamilton, who plays Beachum's wife, do a fine job with their characters, they are merely plot devices, there to focus our attention on the film's real star: Steve Everett. Or rather, Clint Eastwood.
Copyright - Tim Chandler
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