The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw, now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.
- Jonathan Demme
- Arthur Anderson
- Eva Z. Cabrera
- Betsy Friedman
- Maggie Murphy
- Matthew Sirianni
- Doug Coleman
- Dean Georgaris
- Daniel Pyne
- Richard Condon
- Kalina Ivanov
- Mary Tobler
- Narges Takesh
Rating: 6.464/10 by 1507 users
Alternative Title:
Mandzhurskiyat kandidat - BG
Manchurian polo - KR
Mandžurijski kandidat - RS
谍影迷魂 - CN
O ánthropos tis Mantzourías - GR
Man'chzhurskiy kandidat - RU
Manzhursʹkyy kandydat - UA
满洲候选人 - CN
战略迷魂 - CN
Sob o Domínio do Mal - BR
El mensajero del miedo - ES
谍网迷魂 - CN
The Manchurian Candidate - US
El embajador del miedo - AR
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 02 hour 09 minutes
Budget: $80,000,000
Revenue: $96,105,964
Plot Keyword: gulf war, senator, canoe, kuwait, conspiracy, war hero, u.s. congress, implant
This remake was always going to struggle to match the excellent 1962 version, and although it is not nearly as compelling, it is still an half decent attempt. Liev Schreiber is acclaimed Gulf War veteran and now Congressman "Raymond Shaw" who is very much in the running for Vice-President of the USA - egged on by his even more ambitious Senator mother (Meryl Streep). Meantime, his wartime captain "Marco" (Denzel Washington) is recovering from an injury sustained during an ambush - only he is struggling to reconcile his memories of that event with those being put forward by "Shaw" and, almost verbatim, by his fellow soldiers. Upon more detailed investigation, "Marco" stumbles upon the most unique of conspiracies that calls him to question not just his own sanity, but the nature of events both past and present. The more he digs, the more doors close before him and pretty soon both he and we know that there is some sort of conspiracy that goes right to the heart of American democracy. The story has been updated from the original and that helps it to stand on it's own a bit more. Washington is effective, as is Schreiber as the plot thickens and the prospects of a terrifying form of psychological warfare begin to loom large, presenting us with a story of manipulation and power-lust that is distinctly Machiavellian. Meryl Streep does OK, but sadly her's is the role that comes off worst by comparison with Angela Lansbury from first time round. The former is undoubtedly an accomplished actress, but somehow she doesn't quite exude the same degree of toxic charm. It also really does take it's time to get going, but once in it's stride it offers us quite an intriguing, if wordy, look at just how the American political establishment might work, and how it might, equally, be up for shrewd exploitation. It's a solid effort and worth a watch, but original is definitely much more sinister and best!
