The Manchurian Candidate

[Jon Lyrik]

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/153/917061.jpg

This summer everything is under control.

Plot: In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.--From IMDb

View trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/the_manchurian_candidate/)

While it won't top the original, it looks to be very good and it has great people in the cast and crew. Denzel + Streep + Demme = quality.

[go2]

this movie looks smart and exciting.it looks like an oscar movie.great dialouge and great trailer.cant wait to see it.

[Fisting Ackbar]

While I'm usually against remakes, I must admit that this does look good. It will definitely be hard to top the original, but with this cast and director I at least expect a decent to good thriller.

[Hannibal21]

The original is one of my all time favorite movies, but I actually think this remake looks pretty good. It's got a great cast and Jonathan Demme is capable of good work, plus it'll be interesting to see Meryl Streep play such a psycho.

I'll be seeing it, but obviously I'm not expecting the fireworks of the 1962 classic.

[Moviefan1234]

This looks pretty darn good. Can't go wrong with Washington and Streep.

[ukcats]

I agree, they make any movie worth watching. If you haven't checked out the movies' web site, definitely do...it's really cool and well done.

www.themanchuriancandidate.com

[Jon Lyrik]

Here is the correct link. (http://www.manchuriancandidate.com/everythingisundercontrol.html)

I agree, very funky and well-made site. Kind of hard to access, though.

[sharkstank]

unnecessary since the original is flawless, but it looks good.

WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Duke Nukem]

Oh, this is that movie about John Kerry! Can't wait to see it!

[Scarface98.9]

I'm looking forward to it. I haven't seen the original, so I don't have the baggage of it, so I may see this

[Strider]

The film looks great. With Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep starring, Jonathan Demme directing, and an intriguing story --- this should be a damn good film. I haven't seen the original film, though. I'll try to check it out before I see this remake.

Strider

[ukcats]

The original was excellent but this one looks just as good...I'm curious to see Denzel and Meryl Streep in action. love em both.

[TheGodSon]

My mother won't shut up about this movie. She'll see anything Denzel does and so will I. :cool:

[Duke Nukem]

The world works in mysterious ways. We now have movies on both Presidential candidates for the next election. There's that bullshitting Michael Moore film about our good misunderstood Prez, Goerge Bush. And, we now a movie about John Kerry! I can just see it now. I'll be seeing this, this Friday, and whenever Til Schweiger appears on screen..."Hey look, its John Kerry!"

:D

[Scarface98.9]

Originally posted by Duke Nukem
The world works in mysterious ways. We now have movies on both Presidential candidates for the next election. There's that bullshitting Michael Moore film about our good misunderstood Prez, Goerge Bush. And, we now a movie about John Kerry! I can just see it now. I'll be seeing this, this Friday, and whenever Til Schweiger appears on screen..."Hey look, its John Kerry!"

:D
If the Kerry joke wasn't funny the first time, it won't be the second time.

What did Ebert and Roeper give the movie? I heard they reviewed it on their show, but I think I missed that part of the episode

[ukcats]

So far every review that i have seen has been positive!

[Duke Nukem]

Originally posted by ukcats
So far every review that i have seen has been positive!

I'm sure John Kerry will be pleased! Oh, then he won't. Then, he will again...

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by Duke Nukem
I'm sure John Kerry will be pleased! Oh, then he won't. Then, he will again...

Duke Nukem, can you please quit the political potshots. I like discussing politics just as much as the next guy, but that's what the Politics Forum is for.

[Duke Nukem]

Sorry. I guess I'm going off the hay wire.

To get back to topic, "The Mancharian Candidate" really does look to be a pretty good politcal thriller. It's one of the few movies this summer that actually screams, "See me!"

[ukcats]

["The Mancharian Candidate" really does look to be a pretty good politcal thriller. It's one of the few movies this summer that actually screams, "See me!" [/B]

I agree, it really does...in addition to Denzel and Meryl, i think this is a great chance for Liev to really show us what he's got. He plays Raymond Shaw in Manchurian.

[SkyNet]

i saw this flick yesterday at a free sneak preview... i have to say this has to be one of my favorites of this summer.

The action was great... the "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON" level was up there... and the final was a HUGE payoff for the 2 hours preceeding it.... i hope this movie does VERY well in theaters.. it def deserves it.

Also i have always enjoyed Liev's work.. and i hope with this flick we will be seeing ALOT more of him... a very talented actor.

Same with Jeffrey Wright... this man has got to be one of this generations finest actors.. hope he starts gettin made roles and an Oscar sooner than later, he deserves it... he got screwed when he didnt get nominated for SHAFT as most ppl did predict e would.

[Adornado]

Originally posted by SkyNet
... he got screwed when he didnt get nominated for SHAFT as most ppl did predict e would.

Are you serious? Because nobody predicted any Oscars for Shaft...ever.

[Tweek]

This movie looks great.
Some clips in the trailer make it look like a horror flick vs. a political thriller.

Meryl Streep=Awesome
Jon Voight=Awesome
Denzel Washington=Awesome
Need I go on?

[ukcats]

i just realized...only three more days...now I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

[Strider]

If anyone's interested, Best Buy is selling the original film on DVD for $10 dollars. I bought it over the weekend. I plan to watch it this week, before I see the remake in theaters. I'm looking forward to watching the original. It looks and sounds fantastic.

Strider

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by Strider
If anyone's interested, Best Buy is selling the original film on DVD for $10 dollars. I bought it over the weekend. I plan to watch it this week, before I see the remake in theaters. I'm looking forward to watching the original. It looks and sounds fantastic.

Strider

I bought the SE two weeks ago, I plan on seeing it again this week. I have watched it countless times already but every time it just keeps on getting better and better, and every time I watch it, it ALWAYS feels like as if I'm experiencing it for the very first time, the effect is that powerful for me. One of the most thrilling, suspenseful movies, and all in all, simply one of the GREATEST frickin' movies ever made.

The positive reviews are also getting me more excited for the remake, I always think the classics should be left alonge but what can I say here? Jonathan Demme is the director of TSOTL, one of my favorite films; Denzel Washington is one of the greatest actors working today; Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actresses of ALL TIME; Jon Voight and Liev Schreiber are also great and I loved the trailers and TV spots I've seen. I won't expect this to top the classic, but I expect this to be a very good film that will not disappoint.

[ukcats]

I'm with you all the way hannibal. I forgot Demme also did Silence of the Lambs, which I love.

[cstroman]

So anyone seen this yet?

[bankholdup]

I don't support this remake, considering the original is one of the greatest films ever made...that, and the trailer isn't that great to me. But I'll give the poster props; simple and great.

[ukcats]

I'm going tonight, I'll let you know how it is. I watched some discussion about it this morning on my local Fox channel that psyched me up for it.

[Adornado]

I'm getting much more excited for The Manchurian Candidate now that there's some slick TV spots out there and it's getting great reviews.

[ANavissi500]

BE WARNED, I HAVE SPOILERS!!!



















I am going to approach my review of The Manchurian Candidate as a comapre/contrast of the 1962 version (which I preferred.) Having said that I like the older one better, this one is one of the best remakes I have ever seen. They took it in a different enough direction to keep it fresh.

To be honest, Denzel was a better Bennett Marco than Frank Sinatra was and Meryl Streep gave Angela Lansbury a run for her money too. Kimberley Elise (who we should definitely be watching - she was SENSATIONAL) breathed life into the character of Rosie, a character that I barely remember from the original even though I saw it only weeks ago. Liev Schrieber (who I've always liked) may finally "breakthrough" into a more mainstream fan base as Raymond Shaw.
Acting: 2004 - 1, 1962 - 0

The dream sequence in this version left something to be desired for me, having fallen in love with the approach of the original dream sequence. The original one was more chilling because of its coldness, whereas this version tried to physically shock the senses. I'm not saying this dream sequence wasn't good, but the first one is one of the best scenes in any movie ever.
Dream Sequence: 2004 - 1, 1962 - 1

The story of the original was also more believable. In the original, for those who don't know, Raymond Shaw is the son of Eleanor Shaw ans step-son of V.P. nominee/incumbent Senator Islin (a real dumbass) Islin is a pawn of the intelligent and crafty Mrs. Shaw. Raymond, the assassin is supposed to kill the president in the original and Bennett rushes in on him as he actually kills his parents, then himself. In this newer version, Raymond is the V.P. nominee/incumbent and Bennett is supposed to kill the president, and instead kills Raymond and Mrs. Shaw (although Raymond deliberately caused the deaths), then FBI Agent Rosie rushes in and saves him. Also, the enemies presented in Manchurian Candidate played off of the fear of communism intrinsic in most, whereas this newer version kind of failed a little into making us scared of Manchurian Global.
Story: 2004 - 1, 1962 - 2

I also preferred the fact that there was a love story in the original, as opposed to a failed love story in the new one between Raymond and Jocelyn. While he does kill her in both versions, it was sadder/more chilling in the original. I did, however, prefer the Rosie/Bennett love story in the newer version.

Love Story: tie

And finally, we have odds and ends. The newer one was aimed at being more unsettling and to achieve this they had very uncomfortable camera angles, bright contrasting lights, jumpy, nauseating visuals, etc. The older one did not have nearly the same flash, yet it was more unsettling. This newer one also had two things I did not like - 1) the news reports really sucked. If you watch it you will agree that something is amiss with them. 2) The ending in the new one was great and then they went to Kuwait and they showed Manchurian Global crumbling and that was fine and good, but it was too wrapped up.

Now that I have thoroughly confused some people, let me say that both versions are exceptional and for different reasons. I suggest you see both: the older one for story and the newer one for great, superb performances by all 4 leads.

[Wildbilld]

Classic 4 Star Rating:
http://wildbilld.brinkster.net/pics/star.bmphttp://wildbilld.brinkster.net/pics/star.bmphttp://wildbilld.brinkster.net/pics/star.bmphttp://wildbilld.brinkster.net/pics/halfstar.bmp

Letter Grade:
B+

1-10 Scale Rating:
http://wildbilld.brinkster.net/pics/8stars.bmp

Crowd Report (http://wildbilld.brinkster.net)

[ukcats]

Saw it this weekend too, thought it was great. Really enjoyed Denzel and Meryl especially, and Liev did his thing too!

[reciprocity]

as we say in boston.... wicked awesome!

I really loved this movie. When it was over - I came out of the theater with a big smile on my face and said to my friend.... Now THAT was a great movie. Thank you, Jonathan Demme.... and Liev Schreiber.... and Denzel Washington..... and Meryl, oh Meryl - how you do deserve the praise you get. I was so impressed.

[bskutle]

This movie could'be been a disaster. As remakes go, it's not bad. As political thrillers go, it's too conventional. Still, you try remaking one of the other 19 greatest films- out of the top 20- this reviewer's ever seen, and see what I saw then.

1962's "The Manchurian Candidate"- directed by the late John Frankenheimer ("Ronin")- is a spellbinding thriller, and a movie certainly of it's time. Fueled by brilliant acting by Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and particularly Angela Lansbury, "Candidate" is a potent and paranoid "What if?" scenario made for Cold War conspiracy theorists to chew over about a group of right-wing American Communists who- during the Korean War- brainwashed US soldiers as assassins with the direct purpose of staging a shadowy coup against American Democracy to get their people in power. The Cold War's been over since the early '90s, but Frankenheimer's masterful vision of "secret government" still enthralls.

Like it's namesake, this year's "Candidate" is a product of it's time. The basic story is more-or-less the same, save for a few changes necessary for an update. This time, it's the Gulf War (the justified one) instead of Korea, and instead of the Communists, it's Big Business, in the form of the fictional Manchurian Global, a company whose ties to prominent officials allow big-budget contracts to find their way into their lap. Welcome to the new threat to American Democracy. If the central conspiracy in 2004's "Manchurian Candidate" seems tame compared to Frankenheimer's more nerve-jangling exercise in paranoia, it's because the new one is all-too familiar to a public that's seen big corporations like Enron and Halliburton make off like bandits at the expense of the common American and ethical politics (if such a beast ever existed).

Jonathan Demme was an inspired choice to direct a remake of "Candidate." After the generic blandness in his directing of the brilliantly-acted "Philadelphia," the self-important heavy-handedness of his overrated "Beloved," and the misguided "look at me" auteur tricks of his tragic "The Truth About Charlie" (itself a remake of Stanley Donan's terrific 1963 thriller "Charade"), he finds his footing again with the same taut and tense craftsmanship he won an Oscar for back in '92 for "The Silence of the Lambs." Some of his musical choices- especially during the opening credits- are unfortunate (ditto some of Rachel Portman's in her otherwise good score), but Demme still delivers the goods as director. But such inspiration would be pointless if the script wasn't worth it, and though it lacks the pointed pow of George Axelrod's 1962 script (based on Richard Condon's novel), and is less-than-subtle most of the time, the update by Daniel Pyne and Dean Georgaris is effective and well-developed, including a loophole change to the nature of both Raymond Shaw (Harvey's character in the original) and his mother Eleanor (Landbury's character) that works better than expected, which in turn brings added significance to Ben Marco (the Sinatra character). Iconic moments from Frankenheimer's film are dropped, and much in the way of story structure has changed, but it's not all bad.

The three leads relish in their roles. Denzel Washington is typically commanding as Marco, though he also brings palpable panic and anxiety to the increasingly-paranoid role, a new dimension from the extraordinary Washington, further establishing himself as the best actor of his generation. Liev Schreiber ("Ransom") excels as Shaw, playing both the political puppet- Shaw is on the ballot as a VP nominee- and cold assassin with a creepy lack of feeling, the right note for both in my opinion, though he manages feeling in his few scenes with Washington's Marco. In Lansbury's infamous role, Meryl Streep is a bit of a letdown. Though she digs into the role with a scene-chewing gusto that is reminiscent of Lansbury, it feels more like a one-dimensional characature of the original role than the type of three-dimensional character we're used to seeing from the incredible Streep.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Demme's "The Manchurian Candidate." Did I expect the masterpiece the original was? No. Did I get a smarter-than-usual entertainment? Not as much as I hoped. What did I get? A solid bit of filmmaking, with good direction, good acting, and good writing. After some of the film's I've seen this year, that's more than I could ask for. Necessary? Not in terms of remaking a classic, but in what looks to be the most heated political race in years, certainly timely.

Grade for "The Manchurian Candidate"- B

[Criminal Rock]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Kimberly Elise, Jon Voight.

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

The “Manchurian Candidate,” A suspenseful thriller about a group of soldiers, specifically Bennett Marco (Washington) and Raymond Shaw (Schreiber), who were both brainwashed after an “ambush,” right before the gulf war. Raymond was to become the Vice President of the United States, decided by his mother, so he can “change the institution of the Government,” for reasons unspoken by the Manchurian Group. All the subjects have been having dreams about their past experience, the same dreams but all broken and scattered in their heads. The dreams play an important role throughout the movie, mostly towards the beginning where they basically focus the story around it.

Obviously, the first movie intended to politicize about the Cold War and Communism in America, while the remake had more of an anti-bush, anti-corporate, anti-rich, sentiment to it in a modern day Gulf War setting. The political aspects of the film were somewhat tacky, and lowered the quality of the movie because of it. Believe what you want about politics, its just we’ve heard the same “message” before, its called “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

The movie is well done; the story has a good but predictable twist to it, however, the acting is at the top of its game, which always gives it a plus. I really liked this film, I liked the original better, but they did a good job pulling me into the story and making me feel the actors’ pain and suffering. Therefore, since I am still in good thoughts of this movie right after I watched it, I decided to give the anticipated film a B-, or 7.5/10.

[coolbeans]

I was very impressed with the acting in this movie. Lansbury gave an unbelievable performance.

[SIREN30]

I just don't know how I feel about this. I just don't see how it could possibly top or even compete w/ the original. The Manchurian Candidate is one film that should never have been remade. Oh well, as a film on its own, I'm sure the new one is very good but I just don't know if I'll be seeing it.

Incidentally, the original is my 5th favorite film of all time.:cool:

[bob]

I just saw this film last night, and I loved it.

I think Denzel really did a much better job than Frank Sinatra, and I liked the vibe of the film a lot: creepy, intelligent, and at times burlesquely grotesque and odd.

A really great film.

[The Prowler]

It seems like this movie is kind of tanking at the box office. At around 35 million now I just think Hollywood should release this movie in the Fall. People are just wanting popcorn movies and not the more adult/mature themed movies. The Stepford Wives would have faired better too in another season.

With that aside I am still anticipating this movie. I have never seen the original actually so I will surprised from the first frame on with the outcome. It looks like it has outstanding acting and a very solid director at the helm with Demme. I'll post later with my thoughts of the movie

[blacksnake]

The Manchurian Candidate (2004 version)
This review is of the 2004 version of The Manchurian Candidate, which is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Condon and a remake of the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate. The film is about Major Ben Marco, who served in the Gulf War along with Sergeant Raymond Shaw, who is now running for president of the United States. One day Ben meets another person from the war who tells him about weird dreams he has been having regarding the war. After looking into some information Ben, is convinced that something bad happened to all members of their troupe during the war. Ben, goes out trying to prove himself and looking for the truth but along the way is followed and is made to look like he is insane. Without revealing spoilers all I'm going to say is that this deals with the upcoming election and highly involves Raymond Shaw, and his mother Eleanor Shaw who is trying her best to get Raymond to the top. The performances were all good in The Manchurian Candidate but at the end of the film I'm not sure if I liked it or not. It was entertaining but I just always felt that the filmmakers could have done much more with the material they were given with. The film is intelligent and interesting but it has a lot of plot holes, the direction often feels blurry and sloppy and I never really felt that thrilled. I was curious to see how it ended but some scenes just dragged on too long which almost killed the thrill of it and made you want to see how it ended so it would just end. The film is also confusing at times and I think the filmmakers were too when they were making it. I've never seen the original Manchurian Candidate, which became a cult classic and also a favourite with critics, but after seeing this remake I plan to see the original because the idea behind the film is interesting and I want to see if the original can pull it off seeing as this film didn't. Also why is Award winning director Jonathan Demme (The Silence Of The Lambs) doing all these remakes (his last film was The Truth About Charlie, another remake)? I think he should try doing something original next time.

[mr_gamecube]

I loved this movie!!! It was a great political thriller, Streep proved that she isn't washed out yet.....

9/10

[Fisting Ackbar]

SPOILERS















Doesn't quite beat the original, but it was different enough for me to enjoy it, though I would have liked it even more hadn't I seen John Frankenheimer's version before. Acting was solid on all parts - Streep in particular was great. I also liked the many close-up shots of everybody that made for a more paranoid atmosphere. Those damn arabic ladies wearing masks with facial paint were also incredibly creepy.
It did go on a little too long though, and while I thought it was an interesting touch that Denzel's love interest turned out to be a government agent (compared to the original what I thought was a weak subplot concerning Janet Leigh's character), it did create more plotholes than I would have hoped for (the way she started as a grocery store clerk is a little iffy).
Shaw killing the senator and his daughter didn't have the same power as it did in the original considering there's less development for them. And it was more partisan than I would have liked (they couldn't have been any more obvious with Al Franken as a news host). But overall a tense thriller worth checking out.

7/10

[Tweek]

The award for creepiest scene goes to this movie.


-spoilers-








Can we say "Oedipal Complex"? The Raymond/Eleanor dynamic was truly a Freudian field day.













-spoiler end-

[badberry]

SPOILERS


Was anyone else confused by the ending of this movie? I assumed that Marco shot Shaw because Shaw 'reprogrammed him' after his mom talked to him on the phone, but I'm not sure about that. And why does Shaw have will of his own anyways...because the implant was gone?

And why were the FBI people going so far out of their way to help Shaw?

Despite getting confusing near the end, decent movie. I'd probably give it a 7/10. Didn't ever really suck me in or blow me away, but I was entertained.

[Tweek]

Yeah, it didn't make sense.

Did Shaw have the dreams AFTER ben bit him, taking out the implant or was he just lying all along?

[Brando @$$ Fat]

This movie was almost as good as the original. Conspiracy theorists haven't seen a movie like this since JFK (9.5/10). I really like how they updated it to modern times. Another thing I liked was that the movie wasn't biased against any particular party (though I think the republicans need some more bashing). It was a straightfoward, electrifying, and hard hitting drama. I'm definately going to buy it when it comes out on DVD.