Power (1986)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

David Himmelstein (written by)

Release Date:

31 January 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

More seductive than sex... More addictive than any drug... More precious than gold. And one man can get it for you. For a price.

Plot:

Pete St. John is a powerful and successful political consultant, with clients spread around the country...

Plot Keywords:

Political | Senator | Power | Corruption

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Gere	...	Pete St. John
Julie Christie	...	Ellen Freeman
Gene Hackman	...	Wilfred Buckley
Kate Capshaw	...	Sydnet Betterman
Denzel Washington	...	Arnold Billing
E.G. Marshall	...	Senator Sam Hastings, Ohio
Beatrice Straight	...	Claire Hastings
Fritz Weaver	...	Wallace Furman, New Mexico Gubernatorial Candidate
Michael Learned	...	Governor Andrea Stannard, Washington
J.T. Walsh	...	Jerome Cade, Ohio Senatorial Candidate
E. Katherine Kerr	...	Irene Furman
Polly Rowles	...	Lucille DeWitt
Matt Salinger	...	Phillip Aarons, Independent Ohio Senatorial Candidate
Tom Mardirosian	...	Sheikh
Omar Torres	...	Roberto Cepeda, Presidential Candidate

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Armonk, New York, USA

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Trivia:

When this film premiered at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, reels 3 and 4 were sequentially reversed by Sundance staffer and IATSE projectionist David Nelson. Most critics and viewers said that they didn't notice the mistake in what they called an otherwise disappointing film. One of the film's makers demanded that the incomplete premiere be stopped and it wasn't rescheduled, the only such film in festival history to do so.

Movie Connections:

References Duel (1971) (TV)

Soundtrack:

SING, SING, SING

How some governments are made.

Nearly 20 years after its initial release, Sidney Lumet's "Power" is more timely than ever. With the U.S.A. currently under the leadership of an individual who entered the Presidency with no democratic mandate, having lost the general election, who attained office by virtue of a de facto appointment by the United States Supreme Court, and who has since chosen to make the country the aggressor in an internationally condemned war of 'preemption', many Americans are left wondering how such a mental and political lightweight attained the highest office in the land. This film helps make clear the process by which many venal, poorly qualified candidates are able to achieve office in American politics. It portrays the power of the most adept advertising industry in the world as it is used to slickly package a political product for the voting public's consumption, and how foreign economic and political interests can play an important role in the process.

With a sizable cast, it's perhaps not surprising that the quality of the performances varied as widely as they did. Richard Gere does an excellent job as Peter St. John, the packager for candidates running in several different elections through the course of the movie. Denzel Washington displays a reptilian cold-bloodedness as his antagonist, a quality he will bring to full fruition in the later "Training Day" (2001). J.T. Walsh, one of the best at playing villains, is also good in his limited role. Kate Capshaw and E.G. Marshall hold up their parts well, but Julie Christie and especially Gene Hackman are not at their best here. Beatrice Straight received a well-deserved Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. After her big scene, there wasn't a piece of the set that didn't have her teethmarks all over it.

The cinematography, by Andrzej Bartkowiak, was terrific, and the musical score complemented the film well, particularly the repeated use of Bennie Goodman's "Sing, sing, sing" with its driving drum solo (by Gene Krupa in the original recording, I believe) used to symbolize St. John's ambition.

Two trivia points: The television game show St. John turns on in his hotel room when he discovers his phone has been bugged is, appropriately, "The Price is Right." The rock outcrop scenery for the political commercial supposedly being filmed in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico is actually part of Vasquez Rocks in southern California, a backdrop that has been used in countless movies and television shows.

As political films go, "Power" is much better than average and well worth viewing. Rating: 7/10.