Powder Keg

Authors: Josh P.
Location: Chicago, IL

"Powder Keg"

Directed by Jonathan Demme
Written by George Clooney and Steven Gaghan
Produced by Jonathan Demme and Grant Heslov
Executive Producers: George Clooney, Steven Gaghan, Martin Scorsese and Steven Soderbergh
Original Music by Howard Shore

Principal Cast:

George Clooney (Walter Duthorne)
Christian Bale (John Wincethrow)
Jared Leto (Charlie Burrows)
Felicity Huffman (Edie Duthorne)
Amy Adams (Margaret Wincethrow)
Ciarán Hinds (Captain Taylor Weathers)
Albert Finney (Bob)
Al Pacino (Frank Richman)
Jamie Foxx (DA Bill Thomas)

Tagline: "Nothing’s illegal if you put on a big show"

Synopsis: In the city of Chicago, notorious businessman Walter Duthorne (Clooney) holds the city with an iron grip. He exposes himself to the public as a well known and loveable figure who seems to be a simple man who just enjoys the pleasures of his wife Edie (Huffman) and his job. However, unbeknownst to the public, Duthorne actually leads another secret life as a notorious drug cartel. His loving grin hides the years of building an illegal empire which funds his exporting business Thorne Industries. His deeds stretch as far into hiring a former IRS employee to make sure his job looks legitimate (Pacino) and even hires a hitman (Finney) to take care of the dirty work. Not everyone is ignorant to him, though. One police captain (Bale) suspects something criminal in Duthorne and he, along with one of his detectives (Leto), set out to find the truth with the help of a newly elected district attorney (Foxx). Wincethrow must tread lightly though, his marriage with his wife (Adams) is failing due to his dedication to his job and he is in danger of losing that job to a new captain (Hinds). John wants to uncover the truth about this man in the public eye.

What the press would say:

Jonathan Demme proves why he is such a masterful director once again. His magnificent touches as director ignite the execution of the film. Steven Gaghan and co-writer George Clooney also provide an intriguing script full of surprises and excitement in addition to mystery and corruption. Clooney outdoes himself in a villainous role which we see far less often and the supporting players are wonderful as well. Howard Shore also has a great original score that blends nicely with some oldies songs. The campaign consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director: Jonathan Demme
Best Actor: George Clooney
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams
Best Supporting Actress: Felicity Huffman
Best Original Screenplay: George Clooney and Steven Gaghan
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score