When it sticks to solving the crime, True Crime, directed by Clint Eastwood, delivers the thrills. But when Eastwood gets romantic… well, it's truly a crime. 

In True Crime, Eastwood plays Steve Everett, a recovering alcoholic and veteran newspaper reporter struggling to stay away from booze, broads, and bad hunches. After Everett's drinking buddy and colleague (Mary McCormack) dies in a car crash, Everett's editor asks him to complete her feature on death row inmate Frank Beachum. 

Augmenting his late colleague's leads with a little sleuthing of his own, Everett begins to question whether Beachum really shot the pregnant woman he was convicted of killing. A meeting with one of the witnesses to the crime only reinforces Everett's doubts. But Everett is working under a literal deadline in his quest to prove Beachum's innocence. The state will execute Beachum in less than 24 hours unless Everett can find convincing proof that another person committed the crime. 

True Crime works best when it concentrates on Eastwood's race against the clock. Director Eastwood makes you feel the minutes ticking away. Eastwood also displays great skill in developing characters and relationships. In particular, Isaiah Washington as Beachum and Lisa Gay Hamilton (The Practice) as Beachum's wife deliver terrific and moving performances. 

James Woods, as Everett's friend and the editor-in-chief of the paper where Everett works, chews the scenery with his usual gleeful abandon. No matter how unrealistic, Woods' scenes with Eastwood crackle with life. Eastwood can also charm, as he shows his in scenes with his real-life daughter, the adorable Francesca Fisher-Eastwood.  

But when True Crime subjects us to a 68-year old Clint Eastwood hitting on 20-somethings McCormack and Lucy Liu (as a friendly store clerk), the movie loses all credibility. Even Diane Venora, who plays Everett's long-suffering wife looks way too young for him. No one's asking Eastwood to stop acting. He's too talented for that. But now that he looks his age, he should start acting it too. 

Joan Fuchsman

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