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Clint Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, Denis Leary, Lisa Gay Hamilton, James Woods ... see more see more... , Bernard Hill , Diane Venora , Michael McKean , Michael Jeter , Mary McCormack , Hattie Winston , Penny Bae Bridges , Francesca Fisher-Eastwood , John Finn , Laila Robins , Sydney Poitier , Erik King , Graham Beckel , Frances Fisher , Marissa Ribisi , Christine Ebersole , Anthony Zerbe , Lucy Liu , George Maguire (I) , Mary Mc Cormack , Nicky Blair , Francesca Eastwood , Michael Mc Kean

Investigative reporter Steve Everett (Clint Eastwood) has just relocated to the west coast after getting fired from the New York Times. Thanks to his old friend, Alan Mann (James Woods), the editor-in... read more read more...-chief of The Oakland Tribune, Everett still has a job, but that's hardly the end of his problems. An alcoholic and a womanizer, he's been sober for two months and his marriage to Barbara (Diane Venora) is in as bad a shape as his car. Everett has also earned the hatred of city editor Bob Findley (Denis Leary), and not without reason -- Everett has been sleeping with his wife. One day, when another reporter dies in an automobile accident, Findley asks Everett to take over her assignment -- the final interview of condemned murderer Frank Beachum (Isaiah Washington). Everett researches the case before the interview, and finds Beachum was convicted of a robbery and homicide in an Oakland convenience store. But the reporter finds several discrepancies in the story, and a visit to death row only confirms Everett's suspicions that Beachum was not the killer. The reporter begins a hurried search for information that will stay the execution. Plagued by his inner demons, the reporter has 12 hours left to save the life of a man he knows is innocent. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

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50% liked it

14,484 ratings

Critics

54% liked it

39 critics

R, 2 hr. 7 min.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Release Date: March 19, 1999

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DVD Release Date: August 10, 1999

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Stats: 352 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (352)

  • ythelastman89
    December 5, 2010
    ythelastman89
    A really powerful story about fighting to the very end and never giving up. Clint Eastwood of course does a great job as a womanizing hot shot reporter, but it's funny that he does it so well at 70. I really liked the draw in to the story, it wasn't sappy at all. They established... read more a really great character with Isaiah Washington and made him seem like a true victim of circumstance. The redemption was really more for Clint Eastwood, who desperately needed to fix the mistakes he had made in the past.
  • sononothing
    July 11, 2010
    sononothing
    A distant relative of His Girl Friday, True Crime is about a reporter (Clint Eastwood) at the bottom of his career writing for a small news paper after botching a story. That's not his only problem, though. Steve (Eastwood) is a bit of an asshole. He lives for himself and his wor... read morek, stopping to think about the consequences only after the deed is done. A set of circumstances leads to Steve being assigned a human interest story abut an inmate (Isaiah Washington) sentenced to death at midnight. While doing research for the piece it comes to light that the condemned man may be put to death for a crime he did not commit.


    This is a well made film that runs at a nice pace. The beginning and the middle run smoothly as Steve goes through his day. It's intriguing at how a story materializes for the reporter. Even the prison interview scene, the obvious cheese in a film like this, is actually well written and acted. The problem with the film is that the ending, though giving the audience the obvious tension, seems a little bit of a cheat and plays out a bit to cliched. Not on the part of the actual execution, but in the way the case is broken open. It soils a film that runs at a great pace through its first and second acts.


    It's not a typical Eastwood masterpiece, but it is an above average film that Eastwood tends to make when taking a break from his truly great works. It's a nice little thriller if you don't expect too much in the end.
  • stormyweather980
    August 16, 2009
    stormyweather980
    Very enjoyable drama about an innocent family man who's on death row. Can Eastwood interject and save the man's life or is he already too late?
  • 76Majikat
    May 4, 2009
    76Majikat
    An easy watching film, but certainly not one of Eastwood?s best - Acting wise or Directing. There are many other films that share the theme of this one and in fact come across much better. The plot is predictable and I feel Eastwood tried far too hard to come across as the woma... read morenising anti-hero here. There was little emotion shown from the character on death row, which made the film lack any real punch.

    Wished it had a little more angst or power and a few twists and turns, it could have been a good film.
  • ceWEBrity
    December 17, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    True Crime is flawed but still largely enjoyable, with an ending that confirmed my deepest suspicions: that the movie would end up as Hollywood formula. It is really, really bad, surely the darkest hour of what is otherwise a well-composed movie.

    The plot isn't always great, but... read more the people moving through it are the centerpieces. All of the key players are incredibly interesting, and their respective actors offer great performances. Eastwood himself is an odd pick, because he is far too old to be playing the woman-stealing lothario. Fuck my wife? Sure, if you can find the Viagra first! And I'm aware that there's a touch of narcissism in this, as I'm sure there is in Eastwood himself. Remember how he was constantly running around in his underwear in Play Misty for Me? Clint Eastwood thinks he's got it and is not afraid to flaunt it, even if he's like 200 years old.

    So perhaps casting himself as the protagonist was a flaw, but all it really gets from you is a derisive chuckle or two. The rest of the movie's pretty tight. Certainly a little formulaic, and a little implausible, but the human aspects of it really shine. For whatever reason, it kept reminding me of Zodiac, but it doesn't take a film critic to see that Zodiac was far more absorbing. It's not a knock on Eastwood, so much as the material he chose to work with.
  • deano
    October 29, 2006
    deano
    Brilliant and thrilling with Eastwood as a reporter who believes a San Quentin Death Row prisoner is innocent and scramble to save him before the clock is ticking.
  • stevetheman1236
    August 14, 2011
    stevetheman1236
    Clint Eastwood had a string of self-directed run-of-the-mill thrillers around the turn of the century and this was one of them. There's nothing we haven't seen here before, folks.
  • husky10000years
    September 4, 2008
    husky10000years
    True Crime is a fairly engaging movie that has some good performances. Clint Eastwood as the director stages the action well and moves the plot forward. The supporting cast is well rounded and helps advance the narrative. What could've made this movie better is a br... read moreisker pace, but Clint Eastwood the director chose a more laid back style. After thirty years in the business, Clint Eastwood can do whatever he wants with his films. He's earned it.
  • oakman67
    February 2, 2011
    oakman67
    A mediorce film with the best of intentions but one in which Eastwood should have stayed behind the camera because he is miscast as the lead. Finding the truth and preserving justice are always noble themes in a film and this is no exception but it could have been executed much b... read moreetter. As always Eastwood excels with his use of music and the cinematography is very strong too.
  • StefanoEarnest
    November 29, 2011
    StefanoEarnest
    Clint Eastwood had a string of self-directed run-of-the-mill thrillers around the turn of the century and this was one of them. There's nothing we haven't seen here before, folks.

View All True Crime Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Dequina
October 11, 2009
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Forget the mystery thriller plot... succeeds more as a study of character. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
August 5, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

The story drifts away, and the movie is structured in a conventional way that lets us know it won't end tragically. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
October 6, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Eastwood handles it professionally, intelligently, and beautifully. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
April 28, 2003
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Hard to swallow. Full Review

Jeffrey Westhoff
July 12, 2002
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Few films cheapen their own material so blatantly.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
February 28, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A riveting and moral drama about an antihero who comes through despite all his flaws. Full Review

Harry Haun
January 1, 2000
Harry Haun, Film Journal International

Not so much a nail-biting whodunit as it is a picture puzzle of a self-destructive type in overdrive, weaving from one misstep to another to, eventually and accidentally, the right answer. Full Review

Ross Anthony
January 1, 2000
Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card

This is the old gritty Clint -- the "Do you feel lucky punk?" Clint. Full Review

Dustin Putman
January 1, 2000
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

A respectable film, particularly in its unequivocal details involving the characters and genuinely unpredictable outcome. Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
September 7, 2011
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

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