True Crime (1999)

Can an over-the-hill journalist uncover the evidence that can prove a death row inmate's innocence just hours before his execution?

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Andrew Klavan (novel), Larry Gross (screenplay)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, LisaGay Hamilton

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Steve Everett
Isaiah Washington	...	Frank Louis Beechum
LisaGay Hamilton	...	Bonnie Beechum
James Woods	...	Alan Mann
Denis Leary	...	Bob Findley
Bernard Hill	...	Warden Luther Plunkitt
Diane Venora	...	Barbara Everett
Michael McKean	...	Reverend Shillerman
Michael Jeter	...	Dale Porterhouse
Mary McCormack	...	Michelle Ziegler
Hattie Winston	...	Angela Russel
Penny Bae Bridges	...	Gail Beechum
Francesca Eastwood	...	Kate Everett (as Francesca Fisher-Eastwood)
John Finn	...	Reedy
Laila Robins	...	Patricia Findley

Storyline

Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood), Oakland Tribune journalist with a passion for women and alcohol, is given the coverage of the upcoming execution of murderer Frank Louis Beachum (Isaiah Washington). His attractive colleague Michelle Ziegler (Mary McCormack) died in a car accident the night before. Bob Findley (Denis Leary), Steve's boss and husband to Steve's current affair, wants him dead and gone as soon as possible. When Steve stumbles across the possibility of Frank Louis Beachum being innocently on death row, Bob feels his time to have come. Now Steve only has a few hours left to prove the innocence of Frank and to be right with this theory, as he definitely will be history if he's not.

---

Plot Keywords:

reporter | movie flop | execution | death row | needle | 

---

Taglines:

An innocent man has only 12 hours to live...

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denis Leary stated that he had never watched this movie, believing that his head would explode if he saw himself acting in a scene next to Clint Eastwood.

---

Goofs

Gail Beechum make a draw for her father and sign it. After that, Mr. Ziegler gives Steve a draw made by Michelle as a child, which isn't the same but it's very similar from Gail's draw, but has Gail's sign.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Roger Waters: [examining Beechum] Blood pressure: 120 over 70. Normal. All right, open wide. Looks fine. Healthy as a horse. Just one more thing, Luther.
Warden Luther Plunkitt: You got to whiz in the cup, Frank. Then we're done.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: True Crime/Ravenous/The King and I/Forces of Nature/The Harmonists (1999)

---

Soundtracks

Why Should I Care
Written by Clint Eastwood, Carole Bayer Sager and Linda Thompson
Produced by David Foster and Tommy LiPuma
Performed by Diana Krall
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group

User Reviews

Formulaic, But Good

Here's one of those movies that's basically been done before but still manages to hold our interest -- and hold it fairly well. Squinty Clinty plays an over-the-hill newspaper reporter who sniffs a bigger scoop when assigned a human interest story about a death row inmate hours away from execution. It seems his fine shackled friend is really innocent, but can our hero prove it in time?

It's hard to pinpoint what elevates TRUE CRIME above its formulaic tendencies. Though not in top form, Eastwood is intriguing despite his character's occasional unlikeability. Isaiah Washington, playing the innocent inmate, is well cast and able to stoically earn our sympathy. Eastwood's newsroom antics would seem tired in many other films, but decent writing and supporting performances help keep things moving at a reasonably smooth pace. And although we know Eastwood will prevail at the end of the day, we're not always quite sure how.

TRUE CRIME is a picture some will appreciate more than others. What's for certain is that there are much worse ways to spend 127 minutes. It's worth a look on a rainy night.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

True Crimes

Filming Locations:

Cotati, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,276,109, 21 March 1999

Gross USA:

$16,649,768

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,649,768

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., The Zanuck Company, Malpaso Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1