Product Description

Steve Everett is a faltering reporter, recovering alcoholic and a womanizer. One editor wants him ousted: the other is the only one at the paper who still believes in him. When Steve discovers that the key witness in the trial of a prisoner scheduled to die lied on the stand, he only has 12 hours to prove his innocence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6999 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 1999-08-10
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 127 minutes

Amazon.com
Not enough people went to see True Crime in theaters. Wasn't Clint Eastwood too old to be playing a guy whom a variety of glorious women, from the middle-aged Diane Venora and Laila Robins to the young Mary McCormack and Lucy Liu, find attractive? Could the onetime Man with No Name credibly play a brilliant crime reporter, Steve Everett, with an ironic turn of phrase and an incurable habit of screwing up both his personal and professional lives? The respective answers to those questions are: hell no and hell yes. True Crime features one of Eastwood's best and most entertaining performances--and his work as director is utterly assured.

The story (from Andrew Klavan's bestselling novel) gives Everett the last-minute assignment of interviewing a condemned man (Isaiah Washington) on the eve of his execution. The prisoner, a born-again Christian and exemplary family man, has everything the reporter lacks except a shot at seeing the next sunrise. Everett sets out to get him that, yet far from making a beeline to the exculpatory evidence that will save the life of his "client," this very tarnished hero has to spend a lot of the next 24 hours contending with the baggage he's accumulated through drinking, wenching, and familial neglect. (A Pirandellian note: Everett's daughter is played by Eastwood's own daughter, Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, and her mother, Frances Fisher, returns for a feisty cameo as a prosecutor.)

This is a good one that got away. Don't let it happen again. -- Richard T. Jameson

From The New Yorker
Clint Eastwood's face has hardened into chiselled rock, his strong torso is now wrinkled, his voice is hoarse and bodiless. Yet at sixty-eight, Eastwood is a more forceful actor than he was twenty years ago-less opaque, less stylized, and altogether more idiosyncratic. He's too old and unsuited by temperament to play the tough city newspaper reporter in this film, but he still has an authority that few younger actors could match. The reporter, an ex-alcoholic, is selfish and faithless in many ways; he's given up on everything but the truth, and he sets about investigating the case of a convicted murderer (Isaiah Washington) on the day the man is set to be executed at San Quentin. The ending of the movie-in which the reporter drives madly to the governor's mansion as the execution commences-is an outrageous manipulation of the audience, but the rest of this melodrama, which Eastwood directed himself (Larry Gross, Paul Brickman, and Stephen Schiff adapted Andrew Klavan's novel), is enjoyably lowdown and melancholy. Shot in Oakland. With James Woods, Denis Leary, Diane Venora, and Lisa Gay Hamilton. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A Race Against Time
Clint Eastwood plays reporter Steve Everett,who puts his job on the line and his family on hold to prove the innocence of an unjustly condemned man. He was given the story as a human interest piece,a story that was to depict the last few hours in the life of Frank Beechum(Isaiah Washington).He is at odds with his editor and is warned not to turn the story into a "Dick Tracey investigation".

Steve is alot of things. He's an alcoholic(on the wagon),a womanizer, and lacks in the qualities needed to be a good father and husband to his family. But one thing he does have, is his reporter's instinct. He has "his nose" for the truth. He senses something fishy about the case which has already gone through numerous appeals,and with only hours to the execution, starts digging around, and takes us on a thrilling ride as he tries, up to the very last second, to save Frank from the death penalty.

There is another storyline that runs parallel to the main focus of the film. The two families each going through their own personal anguishes. Frank's family, his wife and little girl, going through the agonizing last few hours with him, and Steve's wife and child must deal with his indiscretions and inattention to his own daughter.The wives played by Lisa Gay Hamilton and Diane Venora are expert at showing us the emotional states they are in. The little girls played by Penny Bae Bridges and Francesca Fisher-Eastwood(his real life daughter) are also terrific at making emotional demands on their Daddies at a time of crisis.

Eastwood's expertise behind the camera, as well as his powerful on screen presence combined with a terrific cast and crew to bring us a thrilling and moving story.Many wonderful performances add to it. James Woods, Dennis Leary and Bernard Hill to start with. Frances Fisher(the film is a bit of a family affair)plays the D.A., Michael Jeeter and Michael Mckean also give fine performances, and to my delight Christine Ebersole makes an appearance as well as the legendary William Windom(check behind the bar for him).Music by Lennie Niehaus and photography by Jack Green are the icing on the cake.

The DVD(WB) looks and sound great.It is presented in the original theatrical widescreen(matted), the picture is perfect and distingishable even in the darker scenes.Colors are pleasing and vibrant, and the sound excellent in the Dolby5.1 Surround.
There are a number of Special Features, including Behind The scenes Documentaries, a video by Diana Krall, and a compelling story told by a real reporter of a real life experience similar to the story(although this film was not based on that).See tech info for complete list of extras.

This is Clint's 21st film as a director. He has a way of reaching an audience that touches the humanness in us that only gets better with each film...enjoy...Laurie

also recommended:Absolute Power

CLOCKWORK OAKLAND
At least two scenes of TRUE CRIME should stay in my memory for a very long time : the visit at the zoo with Clint Eastwood shouting "Speed Zoo" and "We're going fast" while pushing his daughter on wheels and the scene involving Clint and James Woods for a conversation about women, ethics and capital punishment : two great actors for a moment of pure pleasure.

At first, TRUE CRIME could be considered as another movie about capital punishment. Well filmed, with a good rythm and convincing actors, this movie is the perfect movie to rent. But take a second look at TRUE CRIME and you won't be disappointed. This movie can be seen one, two or three times, it will still unveil a lot of goodies. One can admire how Clint Eastwood compares with subtlety the destiny of Steve Everett and Frank Beechum by using descriptions of similar situations : for example, the two little girls harassing their fathers with multiple demands at a crucial moment. Let's also observe how Clint uses a clever editing to pass from Beechum's cell to Clint's scenes : cigarettes, paintings (the green pastures) for instance are themes that bind the two destinies.

I strongly recommend this film which is another masterpiece in the exceptional directorial career of Clint Eastwood. Sound and images perfect for me with above-averages extra-features.

A DVD for your library. At least, I hope so !

A Must See Movie!
When I first saw the trailer, I thought this was going to be a boring movie. But once I saw it, I just had to get the word out that this was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The movie is filled with suspense, great acting, and a wonderful plot/story. It's about an innocent man saved from the death penalty at the exact moment. To enjoy the movie you must see it with the proper settings and without distraction. Otherwise, you won't enjoy it as much. The movie has a lot of big names in the movie including Clint Eastwood, who produced and directed this movie, Dennis Leary, and etc. Happened to see Absolute Power, directed by Eastwood, but this movie is a much superior film. Eastwood definitely redeemed himself in this one. So go watch this great film.