True Crime

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, Lisa Gay Hamilton, James Woods, Denis Leary, Bernard Hill, Michael McKean, Michael Jeter, Mary McCormack, Lucy Liu
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
1999

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A washed up reporter (Clint Eastwood) tries to put his bozzing and womanizing aside to concentrate on the case of a death role inmate (Isaiah Washington) who is about to be executed- but proclaims his innocence. As the clock ticks down on the execution, the hunt for the truth heats up.

Review:

Tim: I am typically a big Clint Eastwood fan. He's such a talented actor and director, and has given us some of the most entertaining, solid movies of the last several decades. Here, True Crime seems like a movie that would work. It pits him as an aging reporter searching for the truth before it's too late. That's exactly the kind of movie Eastwood typically excels in. And yet, this film falls short of the mark. This is a bit of a disappointment.

The biggest problem is Eastwood's character. He is just so hard to like. Part of this is because it's increasingly hard to believe Eastwood as a womanizer, especially with younger women. He starts the film out trying to pick up a 24 year old, and it just seems creepy and unrealistic. I never really bought him in the role. It doesn't help that we're told over and over that his character isn't a good guy. The silly zoo scene with his daughter cements that in our minds. I wanted to be able to root for him more, but he was such an unlikable jerk that it was nearly impossible. I will admit that his acting is pretty impressive, but his character left something to be desired.

The film also suffers because it feels too redundant. I felt like I've seen this movie before, and it plays out roughly as you expect. Sure, there are a few small surprises now and then, but it's completely predictable and straightforward. That's not a strength here. It was just impossible to really get into the story or the characters. I was interested, but I never felt engaged or invested in the least.

The film spends way too much time on scenes that are not all that important. We have far too much screen time between Denis Leary and Eastwood. Yes, this dynamic is interesting, but the scenes should have been cut back. You also have James Woods going way over the top in a silly role. I wish Woods would have toned his part down some. I do want to mention Isaiah Washington, who gives a very good performance. He is complex, interesting, and entertaining. Besides Eastwood, who is always enjoyable, Washington was the best part of the film.

Eastwood is such a competent director that I have to admit I didn't hate True Crime. I was at least mildly interested throughout the film (although I admit, after the first hour, the rest of the movie becomes pretty predictable, and it was very hard to maintain focus the last 30 minutes) and curious to see how it all turned out. This film doesn't do anything special, and nothing particularly memorable. That's a shame. For those reasons, True Crime does nothing to set itself apart from so many similar films, and as a result, fades into the background. This is a decent movie, but desperately needed to be better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Blood Work, In the Line of Fire, Absolute Power