The Manchurian Candidate Movie Review:


Adding to the library of recent Hollywood remakes is director Jonathan Demme’s retelling of The Manchurian Candidate. The controversial 1962 film version was directed by John Frankenheimer and starred Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, and Laurence Harvey.

Demme, who’s last remake of Charade entitled The Truth about Charlie was a disaster, keeps the political paranoia story interesting, but not so satisfying that the film should have been remade even though the concept is eerie and brisk.

The film centers around Army Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), who was a decorated solider in the Gulf War and speaks highly of his army friend, now Senator, Raymond Prentiss Shaw (Liev Schreiber). After Marco and his men were viciously attacked in Kuwait, the quiet Shaw single handedly save the squad with his immediate combat tactics. Shaw went on the win the Congressional Medal of Honor and under the wing of his slithering and controversial mother, Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw (Meryl Streep), he went on take a powerful seat in Congress.

During the first few minutes of the film, a trouble veteran named Al Melvin (Jeffrey Wright), who was part of the combat squad in Kuwait, approaches Marco. Melvin reveals to his ex-commanding leader that he has horrific dreams of what really happen on the sandy battlefield as well as his doubts about Shaw saving them. Marco kindly denies Melvin’s allegations and tells him to seek help. However, Marco is having troubled dreams as well about Kuwait, death, murder, and mind games. Once Raymond Prentiss Shaw surprisingly wins the nomination of Vice President, Marco becomes extremely paranoid with a conspiracy as to what happen in Kuwait and why is the quiet and sheltered Shaw so easily moving up the political ladder.

Marco first attempts to talk with Shaw, then find Melvin, and even speak with the Army about his beliefs. However, the more he learns about what has happen to him and his men, the more everyone believes he is suffering from a severe case of post traumatic stress and Gulf War Syndrome. As his pursuit engages continuously, the danger rises, the mind is challenged and time is running out.

Having not seen the 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate, therefore there will not be a viable comparison between the two films in this review. It is evident that this version was updated to present day and centers on the Gulf War, instead of on the Korean War, and that the actual Manchurian Corporation is a powerful worldwide company, rather than a group of Communists.

Though Demme effectively entails a sense of crazed paranoia, a chilling atmosphere, and strong performances from his great cast, there are still an ample amount of mishaps throughout this film. First and foremost the film’s epilogue is disappointingly weak leaving clues unanswered and the majority of the film’s first half moves along like a vehicle unable to punch in the clutch. Though an ample amount of time in the first half is given for the character development, Demme could have perhaps jump-started it a little more. It is also amazing the near lack of security measures that are taken throughout this film. Washington’s Marco can merely shout out once from a crowd of media reporters and Shaw merely responds and invites him into his campaign headquarters. Another incident is when Shaw is attacked with a chunk of flesh being bitten out him and it takes his bodyguards a minute or so to reach him. However, the most preposterous notion may be that when a highly regarded Senator is murdered on his kayak, he is by himself, with no security whatsoever. These situations in the film could have been a lot smarter, clever, and more politically real. What is witty in the film is neither of the political parties involved names are ever mentioned and that the film is opening right during the beginning of the Democratic Convention in Boston.

The second half of the film is engaging and Demme’s choices are staggering. His trademark of doing away with over the shoulder shots and having his actors deliver their lines right into the lens has a profound effect throughout this film, especially the encounters between Shaw and Marco. Though hampered by problems with of unanswered questions from the script by writers Daniel Pyne (The Sum of All Fears) and Dean Georgaris (Paycheck), Demme’s work with this remake is more respectful this time around.

Denzel Washington is wonderful with his role as the nightmare tormented veteran Ben Marco. Meryl Streep dons her best Hilary Clinton impression and is fabulous as the twisted and wicked Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw, who will do anything to get her baby boy into the White House. The underrated Liev Schreiber is sort of left in the background behind Washington and Streep, but is also efficient in one of his better performances as Raymond Shaw. Jeffrey Wright, Jon Voight, and Kimberly Elise also deliver good work in the supporting performances.

Though a very interesting concept, great acting, and firm direction from Jonathan Demme, The Manchurian Candidate still suffers from hiccups that just bring the film down. It takes too long for the film to get going; leaves parts of the nightmares and what happened in Kuwait unexplained, and skews the keen sense of political precautions. The second half of the film is a potent thriller that does present very scary ideas of brainwashing and political power.

Grade: C+

Joseph Tucker

John Frankenheimer’s legendary 1962 political thriller, “The Manchurian Candidate” is probably considered one of the greatest political thrillers ever made. It is always compared to when another assassination film, brainwashing film or conspiracy film is made.

Films like 1976’s “Marathon Man” and 1997’s “Conspiracy Theory” are examples of some of the successes and failures of trying to live up to Frankenheimer’s classic vivid thriller.

Now a film has come along that not only tries to live up to that classic but also assumes the legendary name. Is it a remake? Is it a “re-imaging”? Is it a success or a certified bomb? Only time will tell.

“Silence of the Lambs” director Jonathan Demme’s version of the “Manchurian Candidate” focuses on the struggling mind of Gulf War veteran Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) who runs into old war buddy, Al Melvin (Jeffrey Wright) at the end of a lecture. Melvin asks Ben if he is having nightmares about their days in the Gulf. Melvin looks shell shocked and exhausted. Ben does recall having nightmares but always dismissed them as inflictions of being in combat.

After Melvin ends up dead, Marco’s world begins to unravel and his fears of mind-manipulation intensify when he digs an implant out of his upper shoulder blade. His nightmares deepen and he begins to see that another war buddy could be inflicted as well. That buddy is Vice President nominee Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber).

But how is a grizzled veteran like Marco going to get this powerful man’s ear. Furthermore how is he supposed to get past the man’s equally powerful and domineering mother (Meryl Streep).

This version of “Manchurian Candidate” is powerful, intense and has some brilliant performances from the film’s three leads. But it is vastly different from the original film. It is kind of like the original except but only in spirit.

Since this version has played around with some of the events of the original but that does allow the audience to experience brand new thrills. But what sells this project to an audience has to be the performances.

Oscar winners Washington and Streep are always exceptional and once more do wonders with these characters. But probably the most surprising and delightful performance was from Schreiber. His Raymond Shaw is utterly brilliant and he steals some scenes away from the Oscar winners. I hope Oscar remembers him.

I also really enjoyed Demme’s claustrophobic directing style especially when it was focused on heavy conversations. Demme’s camerawork allowed for the audience to be almost like a “fly-on-the-wall” during these conversations with utter ease.

“The Manchurian Candidate” is great high class thriller. It seems even more powerful with it being an election year. In some ways it seems appropriate that a paranoia relic of the 1960s would be resurrected in 2004 when America’s political future seems almost as uncertain as it was back then.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

After surviving an ambush in the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco (Washington) has been taken off active duty and now spends his time travelling around schools and colleges giving talks on how the then Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Schreiber) saved the entire platoon to inspire possible new recruits. When one of the old platoon approaches him saying he is having nightmares that are making him think that Shaw didn’t actually save the squad. When Marco starts having the dreams as well, he starts to question what happened that night and approaches Shaw with his reservations. The problem is that Shaw is in the running to become the Vice President of USA and any inkling that he and the rest of the platoon my have been brainwashed might encroach on his political aspirations but it is all deliberate ploy for someone to have control of the Whitehouse?

Political intrigue mixes with science fiction to produce a thriller that will keep you hooked to the very end.

A remake of the 1962 movie by John Frankenheimer and starring Frank Sinatra and based upon the novel by Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate is updated for the new millennium and is as intriguing a concept as ever. The thought of corporation been able to place a puppet in the White House is a frightening prospect but one that is becoming more and more plausible. As the Presidential election becomes more and more like a Hollywood spectacle, backed by big business, this is a movie that is very relevant and could be a forerunner of what could come.

The science fiction element comes in the form of electronic implants, brainwashing and suggestion triggers. What makes these elements so intriguing is that the film approaches them in a very plausible way making you question if these things actually happen. This propagates a sense of paranoia in the characters that it affects and also makes the audience think if corporations get anymore powerful they will run our lives and the planet.

Backing up the extremely interesting story are some strong performances from an excellent cast. Denzel Washington continues to mesmerise you with his talents as an actor. As Major Ben Marco this is another fine performance by an actor that can really do no wrong, whatever he appears in. He creates a character that is riddled with paranoia and distrust as the events that have shaped his live start unravelling around him. Washington is accompanied by another stellar performance from the brilliant Meryl Streep. As Eleanor Shaw, Raymond Shaw’s mother and the woman pushing her son into the White House, she plays the great manipulator, the puppet master who is pulling all the strings. Liev Schreiber continues to make inroads into stardom with another noticeable performance. He is an actor that really catches the eye as he creates another intriguing and complex character that slowly starts to mentally unravel as the film progresses. This should get him even more noticed in Hollywood circles.

The Manchurian Candidate is an excellent remake that pays homage to the original and brings the fascinating subject matter right up to date. It also marks a return to form for director Jonathan Demme, who at last starts to rediscover some of the talent that made him an Oscar winner. With excellent performances from an outstanding cast and a plot that you can’t help but be drawn into, this is a movie that poses a lot of questions about the world of politics and the power of big business.

Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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