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Movie Review - The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Jonathan Demme |
| Starring: |
Denzel Washington, Liev Schrieber, and Meryl Streep |
| Rated: |
R (for violence and some language) |
| Length: |
130 minutes |
| Genre: |
Thriller |
| Website: |
The Manchurian Candidate |
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PLOT
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Kuwait, 1991, shortly before Operation Desert Storm. Bennett Marco (Washington) is the captain of a
squadron of U.S. soldiers who are on a patrol to scout out the enemy soldiers in Iraqi occupied territory.
Along the way, they are ambushed by enemy soldiers and Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Schrieber) single-handedly saves
the men, killing an entire company of enemy soldiers and leading them for three days through the desert to
safety. When they return safely, Capt. Marco (who was knocked unconscious during the ambush and therefore
unable to lead) recommends Sgt. Shaw for the Congressional Medal of Honor, the most prestigious medal a
soldier can receive.
Fast forward to the present day. Sgt. Shaw is now Raymond Prentiss Shaw; two-term Congressman from New
York, son of Eleanor Prentiss Shaw (Streep), Senator and John Shaw, former Senator now deceased. In a
surprising turn of events, Raymond is given the vice presidential nomination, because we know how
surprising political conventions can be, right? Meanwhile, Marco (now Major Marco) has been having
recurring nightmares about their time in Kuwait, and he starts to put the pieces together. Was Sgt.
Shaw really the hero everyone believes he was or is something more sinister going on? An updated version
of the original brainwashing thriller ensues.
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MS. CALI'S TAKE
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Remakes are scary things. They are generally more likely than not to be terrible, especially if they change
key elements of the original. Thankfully, that's not the case with this movie.
In the years since 1962, mankind has come a long way in the fields of technology and medicine. The brain
washing is done with implants, electro shock therapy, and sensory deprivation this time around, and it
actually works. The characters are also updated with the times, with Eleanor Shaw the Senator this time
around instead of just the wife of a senator. In another change from the original, Raymond Shaw is the
one nominated for Vice President. The Manchurians in this case aren't actual Manchurians but rather a
corporation called Manchurian Global. I won't mention any of the other changes, as they are integral to
the plot, but I will say that they work.
There has been a lot of Oscar buzz around this movie, and while I wouldn't recommend the movie itself for
an award, I would recommend two of the actors. Meryl Streep is simply amazing as Eleanor Shaw, and Liev
Schrieber is an even better Raymond Shaw than Laurence Harvey was in the original. Both deserve supporting
actor nods. Denzel kind of got on my nerves a bit, but he tends to do that. He was very good, but I wouldn't
say he was great. He was much better in Man On Fire in my opinion.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- BeBe Winans (Gospel Singer with his sister CeCe Winans) has a small role in this film.
- Random Kevin Bacon connection: Ted Levine (Colonel Howard) is in Monk with Bitty Schram who is in
One Fine Day with George Clooney, who was in Return of the Killer Tomatoes with Anthony Stark (Ezra, my
favorite character from the TV Series The Magnificent Seven), who was in License to Kill with Anthony
Zerbe, who was in The Young Riders with Josh Brolin, who was in The Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
- Ms. Cali admits that her Kevin Bacon connections are really Josh Brolin connections, but thinks
that would make Johnny Betts too happy, and she can't have that!
- Ms. Cali's boyfriend thinks the tagline of this movie captures it perfectly - "Everything is under
control."
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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This movie is rated R for language and violence, and there is definitely some graphic violence. I found
myself having to turn away a couple times, so if you are squeamish, be ready for that. I think Mama would
be better off watching the original.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer is rather generic in my opinion. You get the idea that this is another Denzel action flick, but
not much more than that. While the trailer does give you a general idea of the plot, it doesn't quite cover
it all.
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THE GIST
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If you're in the mood for a remake that manages to still be original, this is the movie for you. But see
the original first. Trust me, it's better that way!
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