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Movie Review
The Manchurian Candidate
By Lee Tistaert Published August 13, 2004
US Release: July 30, 2004
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Denzel Washington , Meryl Streep , Liev Schreiber , Kimberly Elise
R
Running Time: 135 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $65,949,000
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Denzel Washington , Meryl Streep , Liev Schreiber , Kimberly Elise
R
Running Time: 135 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $65,949,000
B
11 of 120
While not as edgy and thrilling as it could be, The Manchurian Candidate is a solidly directed genre film, with enough suspense to keep curiosity afloat.
I?ve been searching for a good Denzel Washington movie for many years, and I finally just found it. Though he has been an acclaimed actor over time, I had never felt like I had seen him dive into a role the way I?d really love to, in which he just entirely buries himself in the emotions. And the one that a lot of critics feel is Denzel?s towering achievement ? Malcolm X ? I found to be a surprisingly mediocre film. While Training Day (B-) did offer him a pretty good performance, the story ended up being too clich? in the end for me to be a solid fan (I mildly enjoyed it). But then again, I am not a built-in fan, as some moviegoers love watching him in just about anything.
With The Manchurian Candidate (which is a remake to the 1962 film), this political thriller gives two icon actors a chance to really shine: Denzel and Meryl Streep. Streep has always been known as a woman with bright talent and an eye for quality material, but here she oozes a performance that is very unlike her in that it?s an aggressive role, and she commands it. From just the first moments of her character?s entrance, I loved watching her morph into this complex persona, and was really anticipating whatever was to come from her later on in the story.
Denzel Washington similarly engulfs himself into the mindset of his character. What I really liked about his performance here is that not only does he never smile throughout the film (which ventures off from the ?Denzel? that everyone knows from the media), but he has a really quiet, cold way about himself that makes the character all the more interesting. In Training Day he played a corrupt cop with bold behavior and he controlled the role. And in Man on Fire (C+), part of his role was quiet, but the other portion involving his retaliation consisted of just raising the pitch of his voice, which wasn?t effective to me.
I like when actors like these, or really any performers, take on a role that is different, and even a role that their average fan may not be easily willing to see because it?s not of the norm. I thought Tom Cruise absolutely rocked in Magnolia, and it?s a role that some of his usual Hollywood fans probably would not want to see him in, because it?s not the ?Cruise? many want to envision. Denzel?s performance in Manchurian Candidate isn?t dark, but it?s not like his usual turns in the recent years; there?s more psychology to the role, and investigating the psychology is intriguing.
The Manchurian Candidate revolves around a what-if scenario in the political arena. Commanding officer Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) has a belief that that he has changed in some mysterious way since the Gulf War when an ambush sent him unconscious, and these changes are haunting his life. Raymond Shaw (Liev Shreiber) was the sergeant in his army unit, whom Ben thinks is battling the same problem he is, only not fully aware of it yet. Shaw is now a vice presidential nominee, and his mother Eleanor (Meryl Streep) is a powerful woman who wants to see Raymond climb to the top. Ben believes there?s more to the Gulf War situation than people think, and he sets out to uncover what truly happened at the ambush.
While not as edgy and thrilling as it could be, The Manchurian Candidate is a solidly directed genre film, with enough suspense to keep curiosity afloat, and enough acting chops to marvel over, creating a solid night out at the movies. Though I have not seen the original film yet, it is said that director Jonathan Demme has changed a few aspects of the story, adding a fresh layer to the already familiar premise. Demme has also found the ideal cast to fulfill the roles, as while I don?t feel this is something that everyone?s going to want to see, I can?t think of anyone else offhand who might?ve delivered the performances as this film provides.
Manchurian Candidate doesn?t have enough layers to reach an almost classic level, but just the right amount of ingredients are left unknown as the story plays to keep one?s attention engaged, making you wonder how everything?s going to add up. The storytelling is also unconventional in that a few plot points are probably not what some people would want to see happen. There are some slight surprises throughout that can arouse a hostile reaction from you, but that is part of this film?s point. The movie can also be confusing, and in the end it doesn?t answer every question to the extent that you may expect, leaving room for discussion afterwards.
The Manchurian Candidate is a smart thriller, something that doesn?t come around all that often. And though its box office will be dampened due to its dark nature, it deserves to be seen by many of those who saw The Sum of All Fears, the film that this had a chance of achieving in ticket sales. Sum of All Fears (B-) was lighter, though, in attitude, and while some people who liked that may not like this, the writing here is more unpredictable and the cast has stronger material to really get behind. Manchurian Candidate is an example of solid talent behind and in front of the camera, achieving; and in such an occurrence, it sure is a nice relief in Hollywood.
With The Manchurian Candidate (which is a remake to the 1962 film), this political thriller gives two icon actors a chance to really shine: Denzel and Meryl Streep. Streep has always been known as a woman with bright talent and an eye for quality material, but here she oozes a performance that is very unlike her in that it?s an aggressive role, and she commands it. From just the first moments of her character?s entrance, I loved watching her morph into this complex persona, and was really anticipating whatever was to come from her later on in the story.
Denzel Washington similarly engulfs himself into the mindset of his character. What I really liked about his performance here is that not only does he never smile throughout the film (which ventures off from the ?Denzel? that everyone knows from the media), but he has a really quiet, cold way about himself that makes the character all the more interesting. In Training Day he played a corrupt cop with bold behavior and he controlled the role. And in Man on Fire (C+), part of his role was quiet, but the other portion involving his retaliation consisted of just raising the pitch of his voice, which wasn?t effective to me.
I like when actors like these, or really any performers, take on a role that is different, and even a role that their average fan may not be easily willing to see because it?s not of the norm. I thought Tom Cruise absolutely rocked in Magnolia, and it?s a role that some of his usual Hollywood fans probably would not want to see him in, because it?s not the ?Cruise? many want to envision. Denzel?s performance in Manchurian Candidate isn?t dark, but it?s not like his usual turns in the recent years; there?s more psychology to the role, and investigating the psychology is intriguing.
The Manchurian Candidate revolves around a what-if scenario in the political arena. Commanding officer Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) has a belief that that he has changed in some mysterious way since the Gulf War when an ambush sent him unconscious, and these changes are haunting his life. Raymond Shaw (Liev Shreiber) was the sergeant in his army unit, whom Ben thinks is battling the same problem he is, only not fully aware of it yet. Shaw is now a vice presidential nominee, and his mother Eleanor (Meryl Streep) is a powerful woman who wants to see Raymond climb to the top. Ben believes there?s more to the Gulf War situation than people think, and he sets out to uncover what truly happened at the ambush.
While not as edgy and thrilling as it could be, The Manchurian Candidate is a solidly directed genre film, with enough suspense to keep curiosity afloat, and enough acting chops to marvel over, creating a solid night out at the movies. Though I have not seen the original film yet, it is said that director Jonathan Demme has changed a few aspects of the story, adding a fresh layer to the already familiar premise. Demme has also found the ideal cast to fulfill the roles, as while I don?t feel this is something that everyone?s going to want to see, I can?t think of anyone else offhand who might?ve delivered the performances as this film provides.
Manchurian Candidate doesn?t have enough layers to reach an almost classic level, but just the right amount of ingredients are left unknown as the story plays to keep one?s attention engaged, making you wonder how everything?s going to add up. The storytelling is also unconventional in that a few plot points are probably not what some people would want to see happen. There are some slight surprises throughout that can arouse a hostile reaction from you, but that is part of this film?s point. The movie can also be confusing, and in the end it doesn?t answer every question to the extent that you may expect, leaving room for discussion afterwards.
The Manchurian Candidate is a smart thriller, something that doesn?t come around all that often. And though its box office will be dampened due to its dark nature, it deserves to be seen by many of those who saw The Sum of All Fears, the film that this had a chance of achieving in ticket sales. Sum of All Fears (B-) was lighter, though, in attitude, and while some people who liked that may not like this, the writing here is more unpredictable and the cast has stronger material to really get behind. Manchurian Candidate is an example of solid talent behind and in front of the camera, achieving; and in such an occurrence, it sure is a nice relief in Hollywood.
Lee's Grade: B
Ranked #11 of 120 between Super Size Me (#10) and Touching the Void (#12) for 2004 movies.
Ranked #11 of 120 between Super Size Me (#10) and Touching the Void (#12) for 2004 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
