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| The Manchurian Candidate
Directed By: Jonathan Demme Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
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| In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes. [TRAILER] In the brilliant 1962 "The Manchurian Candidate," director John Frankenheimer presented a bleak, blurry and ominously prescient view of a world that would become overwrought with fear and suspicion. Constructed as partly a reflection of the fear of communism and an even greater reflection on how politicians use that fear to their own ends, "Candidate" was a cautionary tale of what could come to pass. In one of the best remakes in cinematic history, Jonathan Demme's "The Manchurian Candidate" updates that old premise to fit modern times, adapting the film's tone, style and delivery to reflect the fact that so many of Frankenheimer's scary ideas and premonitions from 42 years ago have now come to be. The first "Candidate" was scary for what it said was possible; this one is arresting due to its parallels to reality. The basic premise of the story, involving manipulation of the mind, memory and free will, is a perfect base for a thriller, as the story's characters not only race against the clock to save the world, but also to work past the mental block that prevents them from even knowing who they are. In 1962, it was a group of Korean soldiers who had their minds manipulated by Chinese communists. In 2004, it is a group of Gulf War (the first one, that is) veterans who have had their minds warped by terrorists. Returning to America, Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) is given the Medal of Honor for his single-handed rescuing of his wounded platoon in the Middle East. And this military service, when combined with his overbearing, zealous mother (Meryl Streep), who took office as a Senator when his father mysteriously died, lands him a place in the political spotlight at his party's national convention. As I write this, Senator John Kerry is preparing to speak to the Democratic National Convention this evening, ready to accept the 2004 nomination for President, and the timely parallels between today's 24/7 news coverage of the event, and the movie's similar media spectacle cannot be avoided. As the movie's presidential nominee must decide about his Vice Presidential candidate, Demme follows the convention's drama into back room meetings between party high-ups, and shows Shaw's mother as the puppet master of the party, threatening to swing votes away from her party if they do not choose her son as the running mate. In a breathtaking scene, using everything from regional politics to national security to support her passionate argument for her son, we see just how far this woman will go to get she wants out of people. This scathing look at political posturing is only heightened once Shaw joins the presidential ticket, as his candidacy is depicted as little more than media spin and fear mongering. His campaign slogan: "Secure Tomorrow Today" is eerily appropriate in a time of orange terror alerts and rhetoric filled with terms as "evil-doers" and "freedom-haters." Meanwhile, as Shaw rises in prominence, his former commanding officer - Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) - is overcome by dreams and flashbacks to their days in the desert. He cannot remember Shaw's valiant acts, even though Marco recommended him for the Medal of Honor, but is instead haunted and debilitated by nightmares of a torture chamber and mind experiments that led both him and Shaw to kill their fellow soldiers. He has avoided the dreams with a stockpile of caffeine and a team of Army doctors, but as he the dreams get worse and he starts to contact his old army comrades, he realizes that they have all had the same visions and the same nightmares. Much like the original, the thrilling aspects of "Candidate" are three-fold. First is the top-level story, in which Marco must rush to reach Shaw before he can be activated as a weapon of the terrorists. Second is the subtext of that story, in which we feel Marco's paranoia as he realizes he is being watched and pursued by those with economic and political interests in ensuring Shaw's election. And the final, devastating level is one in which we see the world of politics picked apart as a deceptive game of hidden cues and secret agendas, a side commentary that is most apparent as Marco confronts Shaw about an implant he found in his back, just as Shaw's slogan "Secure Tomorrow," becomes more prominent in the background. Furthermore, one cannot help but notice the parallels between the story's levels. Just as Shaw is manipulated by the terrorists through a series of buzz words, so too does he and his mother manipulate the American public through the catch phrases and buzz words that today's John Kerry and George Bush use to appease their political bases. Watching the convention scenes, in which the near-comatose Shaw wanders the stage to the adulation of thousands of screaming, detached voters is creepy indeed. The performances here are of the highest caliber, and they will surely receive some form of recognition at year's end. As Marco, Washington manages to fill Frank Sinatra's shoes, holding up in his shell of fear until the very end, when his outbursts hit the needed notes of desperation and futility perfectly. Schreiber will surely be overlooked in this film, and that is a shame. Notice in his formal speeches and in his conversations how he staggers his delivery to reflect a man who is literally incapable of controlling what he says or how he handles himself. And it is his devastating balance of detached cruelty and inner torment that brings together the film's most powerful moment - little more than a glance through a rifle scope between two men who realize they have lost the battle with themselves, and lash out with one final burst of free will. But none of these performances equals Streep's. As the controlling senator, she is the most chilling character of the film, and not because of her final shocking acts but because of her calculated use of words and emotions. From loving mother to envious political ally to manipulative party member to maniacal killer, she is the scariest person in the film because she can do absolutely anything and rationalize it. The two times in the film when she says "listen," commandeering the story with her cold, ruthless intentions, may stand as the most bone-chilling moments in film this year. I must admit I had my doubts going in. I thought the substance of Frankenheimer would get lost in a film too preoccupied with its thriller requirements. But instead, Demme has turned the tables on the original. Frankenheimer was more concerned with the characters getting backed into their corners and in what this confinement said about America. Demme, on the other hand, seems to gloss over the characters in favor of why they're being backed into the corner in the first place, and is less concerned with their fate than in their realizations under pressure. In a series of straight, point-of-view shots, Shaw and more so Marco seem to speaking directly to us and they seem to be confined, more and more, by our very presence. By the time we realize that even Shaw's mother is controlled by Manchurian Global - a financial conglomerate that is a transparent reflection of today's Halliburton - we come to appreciate what the true message of this film really is. It is not about communism, or terrorists, or political processes. Much like Oliver Stone's "JFK," it is instead about our collective fear that the government is not only slowly slipping away from us, but is already in someone else's hands. And those who have lost control don't even know who's pulling the strings. Check out Reviews, Commentary, and More at Zertinet.com |
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