Power Page #4

Synopsis: Pete St. John is a powerful and successful political consultant, with clients spread around the country. When his long-time friend and client, Ohio senator Sam Hastings, decides to quit politics, he is rapidly drafted to help with the campaign of the man destined to succeed him, unknown and mysterious businessman Jerome Cade. In parallel, and unaware of the potential dangers, he proceeds to unravel the mystery surrounding Hastings dropping out, with the aide of his ex-wife, a prominent Washington-based journalist. But interests more powerful than local arm wrestling are at stake, and things start going awry.
Genre: Drama
Director(s): Sidney Lumet
Production: Lorimar Home Video
  1 win & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
5.7
Rotten Tomatoes:
50%
R
Year:
1986
111 min
690 Views


It's not critical.

You have done some

public service stuff.

Even as far as issues

that could get you...

...into a Kennedy School seminar,

or get your position paper...

...printed in the

Times' op-ed page.

I take it money

is not a problem.

No.

So, you would start--

I haven't done any

polls yet, I'd figure...

...16, 17, 18 points down.

And just by getting the nomination

that would jump.

So, I take it you're with me,

then, Mr. St. John?

Have you got

a couple of minutes?

I'd like to show you something

down in the basement.

Gentlemen, thank you.

Mr. Cade.

The Senate put in

new chairs,

right before Sam's

last campaign.

I talked him into letting me

keep his old one.

We used it in four or five

of his last TV spots.

Sit in it.

- How does it feel?

- It feels quite comfortable.

And please, don't play

games with me, Mr. St. John.

I've known what I wanted

for a very long time.

You want one like that?

It's going to run you...

- ...ten, eleven million bucks.

- An absurd sum, Mr. St. John.

But the real absurdity is to spend

that kind of money and not get it.

Now, you tell me,

if I pay you what you want,

will you be able to give me

the amount of time I require...

...or you'll be spread too thin

among your other candidates?

You'll get all the time

you require, Mr. Cade.

You do know that

if I take you on,

I'll be in control.

Just so we're clear,

that means strategy, budget--

The process doesn't interest me,

Mr. St. John.

What does is that you have

an 85% success rate.

I will pay you to play

those percentages.

My sole concern is my work

once I'm elected.

Why should I take you on?

Because some guy named Arnold

Billings got my phone number...

- ...and got to me first?

- Because once I get in--

and I will, with your help

or with someone else's,

I can accomplish

what has to be done.

Change the policies that

are strangling this country.

Now, I'm ready to begin.

Are you with me?

Where is Billings

in all this?

Mr. Billings is a business

associate of mine.

He handles public relations work

for some of my companies.

He has no official position

in my campaign.

He told me you were going to

line up with Sam on the issues.

- Did he get that right?

- That's correct.

Except for the solar energy bill,

I don't believe that approach is sound.

No, no. You explain it to me.

He's with you except

on solar energy.

Like being with Gloria Steinem

except on women.

I don't understand, Pete.

You were never much interested

on how your clients...

...stood on the issues before.

- I am now.

- Why?

He'd be replacing you.

What's the big problem?

Take him on.

Leonard...

I want to cancel the

West Coast trip.

We can get a stringer from L. A.

if we really need it, can't we?

Okay.

I want to take a look

into Sam Hastings.

Right, you're friendly with him

and he's wife, right?

Have you heard anything?

- Nothing special, no, but I--

- Coordinate it with Manny.

He's pulled a couple of people

from metro just to...

...chase down the rumors.

Have you heard the latest?

He's got AIDS.

Jesus, I love Washington!

Thank you for

your note, Ellen.

It meant a great deal to us,

it really did.

I meant everything

I wrote in it.

It's a great loss

for the country.

Sam is what the Senate

is all about.

Thank you.

Claire!

Claire! You're new home

is absolutely beautiful.

- You've never been here before?

- No.

Oh, I can't believe it.

Oh, I feel terrible!

Claire, it's my fault.

It's ridiculous, but,

when you get divorced...

...you don't know where you stand

anymore with your old friends.

You tend to avoid them in case

you make them feel awkward.

You assume they're all

going to take sides.

And I assumed--

well, Sam and Pete

are so close...

I really appreciate

your decision...

...to keep the details of the

illness a family matter.

Well, it was very hard.

Yes. Yes, I can imagine.

Is Sam being treated here

or in Ohio?

Well, that hasn't been

determined yet.

And how are the boys

taking it?

Oh, I am so proud of them.

They have been so strong,

so good.

I wouldn't have gotten through this

without those guys.

And your mother,

how's she doing?

Well,

this thing's been

very hard on her.

We talk to each other every night

on the phone and I--

- She's in Charleston, hm?

- No, no.

She moved back to New Orleans

several years ago.

Oh!

Ralph, I need some help

on this Billings guy.

Why's it this tough?

How many top black lobbyists

can there be in Washington?

Maybe his client list.

Maybe if you pass by all

the probable data banks?

I'd appreciate it.

If they're international

we could try wire transfers.

But don't hold your breath.

Ever since those kids started

breaking into everything,

everyone's gotten meshugah

on access codes.

Maybe if you take a run by

all the standard industry stuff.

Billings Associates's a privately held

corporation. That won't help.

Billings is the only

listed officer.

You need this by when?

As soon as possible.

I'm flying down to South America

in 24 hours.

I'm in New Mexico the next

couple of days,

Ohio the rest of the week.

- I know you're busy as hell--

- Have a safe trip. Go.

Pete!

How's the South American guy doing?

He's going to take it.

My husband felt

such shame, you see.

No one in his family, not one,

with all their money,

ever offered to help us out.

They just washed their hands,

every single one of them.

Well, except once...

...when Claire was getting ready

to go to college,

I had a call from her grandfather,

that he wanted to know...

...if Claire needed any money

for her education.

I told him what to do

with his money.

I told him that Claire

was valedictorian...

...and we'd get along somehow.

Well, he passed away.

I don't remember,

I guess it was several years later.

I did not go to the funeral.

But I did say a prayer

for his soul.

- You okay?

- Yeah.

Go get'em, tiger.

Okay, take him back.

- Okay, let's go.

Okay.

It looks good from here.

Yeah, we can see

the whole thing.

You about 50 feet?

A little less.

Stand by.

Eddie, can you read me?

Yeah, go ahead.

You got them lined up yet?

Yeah, we finally got'em

but you better hurry up.

Okay, I wanna stay clear

on channel 1.

And I want to hear if there's

any troubles, right now!

Martha, I want to get

a rough time on this,

so, start reading as soon as

the wagons go, okay?

Okay... roll tape!

Let me know when you got speed.

Speed!

Background action!

Cue Wallace!

New Mexico is a special land,

blessed with mountains, deserts,

clean air and pure waters.

But besides her natural resources,

our state has been blessed

with its human resources,

from the proud Apache and Navajo tribes

who first hunted and planted here,

to our long history of people

who have journeyed here.

Whether they came from Mexico,

or Europe or Asia...

...or other parts

of this country,

they all shared

a common dream:

to live in a land where

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David Himmelstein

David U. Himmelstein is an American academic physician specializing in internal medicine. He is a distinguished professor of public health and health policy in the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, an adjunct clinical professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He is also the co-founder (with Steffie Woolhandler) of Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization advocating for single-payer healthcare in the United States. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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