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The Manchurian Candidate 2004 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Jonathan Demme
R, 130 min. (violence, some language) |
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Starring: Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Jon Voight , Kimbery Elise, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Producers: Scott Rudin, Tina Sinatra
Screenplay: Daniel Pyne, Dean Georgaris
Cinematography: Tak Fujimoto
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Released: 7.30.04 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
The Manchurian Candidate is a remake of the 1962 classic starring Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury and, while
not quite in the same league as the original, retains much of the building suspense and thought-provoking issues at hand.
Directed by Jonathan Demme, this updated version, which substitues evil corporations for Communists as its villain,
bolsters its frantic pace with strong performances and a striking investigation of the dangers of unchecked technology
(especially in the hands of corporate power). The film manages to succeed despite its limitations, since reinventing a
revered classic would have been foolish. Of course, its premise - that corporations seek to control the presidency, is
redundant since most everyone recognizes that government today is more or less steered by special interest groups (many of
them controlled by corporations). Demme saw an opportunity to translate the original film's disturbing premise into today's
politically charged climate, and the result is an engaging couple of hours of cinema.
John Frankenheimer's version struck a nerve with audiences because of its Communist-centered conspiracy to control
the White House. The film came on the heels of communist hysteria within America's borders, and as Lansbury and
Sinatra push the story further into the realm of brainwashed panic, it took on a surreal, nightmarish vision of the possibility
of an unaware public. The merits of that film can be debated, but its timing and Hitchcockian-like suspense built to
a conclusion that logically followed its downward spiral. In this current version, Demme alters the conclusion to fit today's
audiences, which is both understandable yet critically flawed. The cynical, bleakly fashioned storyline deserves the
conclusion that seems unavoidable, but for some reason is excised in favor of potential healing. This weakness aside,
The Manchurian Candidate contains moments of real brilliance.
Raymond Shaw's (Liev Schreiber) rise to political stardom was birthed in his heroism during the Gulf War, when he saved
the lives of several men in his unit that came under attack from the enemy. His fellow veterans, including
Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) and Al Melvin (Jeffrey Wright), all claim (in verbatim) that Shaw's selfless bravery rescued
them from certain death. A Congressional Medal of Honor and thirteen years later, Shaw is running on the Presidential
ticket as a Vice President nominee. His mother, the hard-nosed Sen. Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep), has, with the help
of Manchurian Global Corp., orchestrated his ascension to power. When Ben confronts Shaw about his recurring nightmares,
it triggers concern within Shaw's troubled mind, which alternates between caring friend and frightening madman.
Ben, having found a chip under his skin, is convinced his unit was brainwashed and now under the control of Manchurian,
which monitors Shaw's brain-implanted chip with periodic checkups. As Shaw gets closer to the White House, Ben must
find a way to expose the plot before it's too late.
Demme fends off some criticism of his film's relation to the original version by maintaining the story at a breakneck pace,
thus challenging the viewer to stay focused rather than playing a compare and contrast game. The tautly-spun script,
by Daniel Pyne and Dean Georgaris and based on Richard Condon's novel, rarely allows a moment to breathe, or to
connect the dots as quickly as needed. There is also some obvious ideological fodder for the politically acute, portraying
left/right ends of the spectrum with equal vigor. The evocation of political allegory isn't necessarily Demme's aim, but
it is evident.
Washington provides the controlled compassion of a man driven to uncover his dark past, finding his own interpretation of
Sinatra's role. Schreiber is also up to the task, imbuing Shaw with the confused but determined mission of his programmed
mind. Streep is able to provide a neat contrast to the Lansbury character, and Eleanor's almost compulsive narcissism
fuels a disturbing dichotomy of power and vulnerability to incestuous longing (some have compared her to Hillary Clinton but
frankly I don't see it). Finally, Kimberly Elise plays Rosie, Ben's supportive friend who turns out to be something much
more, in the role originally played by Janet Leigh.
The Manchurian Candidate manages to update a classic with moderate success because of a competent director and
a talented cast. Although the themes and vision of the original remains superior on almost every level, Demme's counterpart
cannot be dismissed as pure mimickry. He has pinpointed the heart of Frankenheimer's film and communicated it with
an urgency that seems appropriate given the atmosphere of election-year shenanigans. He challenges viewers to question
motives and the sanity of corporate-run government, but does it in a way that avoids preachy melodrama.
© 2004 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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