Power (1986 film)

Power
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sidney Lumet
Written by	David Himmelstein
Produced by	Reene Schisgal Mark Tarlov Kenneth Utt Wolfgang Glattes
Starring	Richard Gere Julie Christie Gene Hackman Kate Capshaw Denzel Washington E.G. Marshall Beatrice Straight
Cinematography	20th Century Fox
Release date	January 31, 1986 (1986-01-31)
Running time	111 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$14 million[1]
Box office	$3,800,000[2]

Power is a 1986 American political drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Richard Gere. The original screenplay by David Himmelstein focuses on political corruption and how power affects both those who wield it and the people they try to control.

St. John comes into conflict with Arnold Billings (Denzel Washington), a public relations expert whose firm Cade has hired. St. John's investigation into Cade's background prompts Billings to retaliate by bugging St. John's office phones, flooding the basement of his headquarters, tampering with his private jet, and interfering with his other clients.

These actions force St. John to examine himself and what he has become and to decide whether his ex-wife Ellen Freeman (Julie Christie) and his former partner Wilfred Buckley (Gene Hackman) are right in believing that his success is due primarily to the exploitation of others.

Cast

• Richard Gere as Pete St. John
• Julie Christie as Ellen Freeman
• Gene Hackman as Wilfred Buckley
• Kate Capshaw as Sydney Betterman
• Denzel Washington as Arnold Billings
• E. G. Marshall
  as Senator Sam Hastings
• Beatrice Straight as Claire Hastings
• Fritz Weaver as Wallace Furman
• Kevin Hagen as Cop
• Michael Learned as Governor Andrea Stannard
• J. T. Walsh
  as Jerome Cade
• Matt Salinger as Phillip Aarons

Production

David Himmelstein, a former political journalist from the East Coast turned screenwriter, drew inspiration for his screenplay by observing political television ads. With a background of fifteen years covering political campaigns, he conducted thorough research by consulting various prominent media strategists.

Vincent Canby of The New York Times, described the film as "a well-meaning, witless, insufferably smug movie that...suffers from the total lack of a comic imagination."^[4]

Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times, gave it a positive but qualified review and wrote, "Because these relationships are so well-written and acted, and because Power seems based on a wealth of research about the world of campaign professionals, the movie builds up considerable momentum during its first hour. There's a sense of excitement, of identification with this man who is being driven by his own energy, ambition and cynicism . . . During the second half of the movie, however, a growing disappointment sets in. Power is too episodic. It doesn't really declare itself to be about any particular story, any single clear-cut issue . . . The climax is a pointless, frustrating montage of images. It's a good montage, but it belongs somewhere in the middle of the movie; it states the problem, but not the solution or even the lack of a solution. The movie seems to be asking us to walk out of the theater shaking our heads in disillusionment, but I was more puzzled than disillusioned . . . It's smart, it's knowledgeable, sometimes it's funny, occasionally it is very touching, and I learned something from it. That is almost enough, I suppose; it's more than most movies provide."^[5]

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has 50% score based on 12 reviews.^[6] On Metacritic it has a 50% score, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of American films of 1986

References