Main Cast: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 130 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Jonathan Demme directed this updated remake of John Frankenheimer's 1962 cult favorite The Manchurian Candidate, a pioneering examination of political conspiracy and psychological reconditioning. Major Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington) and Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) are two soldiers who served in the same company during Operation Desert Storm, but their paths following their tours of duty have been very different. Shaw, the son of powerful congresswoman Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep), has used his reputation as a war hero to quickly scale the ladder of American politics, and with the help of his mother earns the Vice Presidential nomination. Marco, on the other hand, has been troubled with mental illness, and is convinced that something strange happened to him and his compatriots during the war. As Marco struggles to find the truth behind his nightmares and emotional torment, he unearths some disturbing facts about how his mind and body have been reworked by shadowy forces, as well as those of his fellow soldiers -- including Raymond Shaw. Featuring a stellar supporting cast (including Jon Voight, Miguel Ferrer, Ted Levine, and Dean Stockwell), The Manchurian Candidate credits George Axelrod's screenplay for the 1962 film as its source, as opposed to Richard Condon's 1959 novel from which Axelrod adapted his script. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
For all of Jonathan Demme's formidable skill behind the camera, his greatest talent is his ability to utilize close-ups. His innate humanism, his interest in whomever he films, comes through every time Denzel Washington's anxious face fills the frame in The Manchurian Candidate. This film only works if the viewer feels Marco's anxiety, paranoia, and frustration. Washington communicates these things with the smallest of facial tics and the subtlest shifts in his eyes. Demme's camera captures every moment of a nuanced, controlled performance that keeps the audience with the film, even when it goes into situations where it becomes harder and harder to suspend disbelief. Liev Schreiber matches Washington's minimalist intensity, and he also benefits from Demme's sympathetic, observant camera. Fine turns from Meryl Streep, Kimberly Elise, and the woefully underappreciated Jeffrey Wright all offer up engaging performances that gain from Demme's fearless love of faces. Those familiar with the original film version of Richard Condon's book may be surprised by some of the changes in this version. Demme and his screenwriters have more or less eliminated the black humor of the original, and they have altered some of the film's major plotlines. These changes all work within this film and help allow it to stand up against any comparison with the original. Anybody familiar with Demme's politics will know what he has to say on the subject of the war on terror, but anybody familiar with Demme's films should also be confident that the politics never once compromise or overwhelm the story. The Manchurian Candidate is a well-made, intelligent summer popcorn film anchored by the compelling face of Denzel Washington. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
