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Plot:
A psychological thriller in which a career soldier, Army Major Bennett Marco, grows suspicious about his experiences in Desert Storm after Squad Sergeant Raymond Shaw, son of the powerful Senator Elea...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 14, 2008Clever plot, but I don' like how hollywood depicts us soldiers as crazy, brainwashed, pawns of politics.
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MCT:August 3, 2008I love Denzel and this film sure had its tension and thrills like most of his movies... I enjoyed it.
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MCT:July 14, 2008
a shocking glimpse into how the psychology of the mind works...tremendous work done on the special effects and the acting was perfect
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MCT:July 11, 2008I think that this film is one of the most devastating political films I've ever seen. And Washington gives a five-star performance.
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MCT:June 7, 2008
Good remake, but very vague. Decent acting, but expected more. Good direction from Demme, but Frankenheimer's was far way superior. Entertaining, but dissappointing at some point.
80/100 -
MCT:June 7, 2008
Demme?s trail of dualities surveys a contemporary America that thrives on predatory divisions of profiteers and victims, the rich and the poor, information and truth.
...the levels of deceit and high-level politics was masterfully handled here -
MCT:May 15, 2008
This film does better than I expected as a remake of the John Frankenheimer masterpiece. The script was weak but the performances more than make up for it.
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MCT:May 9, 2008
Never reaches the heights of the original, but it's pretty good. Meryl Streep is mesmerizing as the bitch-mother.
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MCT:April 18, 2008
pretty cool flick. movies like this when someone's mind gets screwed w/& they can't decide what's real & what's not & can never seem to discover the truth really frustrate me. it was still pretty good though.
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MCT:April 8, 2008Saw this movie in the theatre and was totally blown away by its total awesomeness. a little confusing requires a second watch to really get it all in but beautiful and Denzel and Meryl are incredible in this movie
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MCT:April 3, 2008
Very thought provoking film! It did have a few dull moments. But it came back with very interesting suspenseful scenes. This film made me think about a lot of things and ended very well.
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MCT:March 8, 2008An entertaining thriller. An interesting story about molding the backgroung of a future presidential hopeful.
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MCT:March 1, 2008
Meryl and Denzel shouldve had oscars for this...and Liev should have had a nod!!...Meryl is pure evil in this...and its delicious to behold!!
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MCT:February 18, 2008
Senator Thomas Jordan: And you bring me rumors and conjecture.
Ben Marco: I started with nightmares. Rumors, conjectures, that's a giant leap forward.
Since I just wrote about the original, I might as well comment on this one.
This remake is actually pretty good. It helps that a lot of great talent is involved. Jonathon Demme serving as director. A cool Washington stepping in for Sanatra. Meryl Streep playing the bitch mother. and Liev Shreiber, who I have always been a fan of, playing my favorite character from the original. Then the movie adds in Jeffrey Wright to play a character further expanded upon in this version, making things seem even better.
The movie works well as a thriller. The update concerning the various forces of evil at work considering the more modern time frame is effective and suitable.
Its definetely worth a watch, but see the original, as it is much better.
[manipulating Raymond]
Eleanor Shaw: Sergeant Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: [Abruptly] What...?
Eleanor Shaw: Sergeant Raymond Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: Mother, I...
Eleanor Shaw: Raymond Prentiss Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: Yes.
Eleanor Shaw: Listen. -
MCT:January 29, 2008
It was... good. It was interesting and rather suspenseful, slightly confusing and a little bizarre. Not bad at al, though. My only problem is that while everything was more or less resolved, it leaves you with a rather uneasy and unsettled feeling at the end. But I don't think there is a bad Denzel movie, so therefore, this was pretty cool. Don't think I'll ever see it again, tho.
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MCT:January 20, 2008
A surprisingly good update. Everything here makes the story and characters more believable in a 21st-century setting.
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MCT:January 14, 2008
I liked this movie suspensful kept you at the edge of your seat, some what confusing in the middle but had a wonderful ending.
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MCT:January 13, 2008
not bad! doesn't live up to the original and somewhat wastes the talent lavished upon it, but that aside it is not as bad as some would have you think! definatly worth a look.
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MCT:January 9, 2008
Utterly confusing and a very complicated plot. Acting performances were impressive, but was bogged down by its obvious aim to thrill and captivate viewers. An interesting story but unrealistic and confusing.
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MCT:December 30, 2007
It would be more likely for me to get hit by a bolt of lightning on my way to the grocery store, than it would be for a remake to supersedes it's original film. That said, let me start off this review on a positive note. The 2004 version of "The Manchurian Candidate" is better than the 1962 original, directed by the late great John Frankenheimer. Although some will not agree (this is a bold statement), I will stick strongly by this theory. Moving on...
The film very smoothly adapts from 1962 to 2004. Instead of the Korean war, it's Desert Storm. The story of both versions centrals around a squad stationed in a war, and one guy saving everybody. However, he does not. The government brainwashes him (along with everyone else in the squad), makes him look good for the tabloids and cameras, and gets him to run for vice president, so they can get a "sleeper" into the white house. All this is advised by the guy's mother (once played by Murder She Wrote's Angela Lansbury), a harsh senator with ruthless ambition who bares a striking resemblance to that witch Hilary Clinton. However ,the general of the squad starts having nightmares about what really went on that night in battle, and threatens the future presidency of the "brainwashed" and mind-controlled mamma's boy.
One of Manchurian Candidate's strong points is the crisp adapted script. It drags a little in the middle (I half yawned), but those last fifteen minutes of the film will have you admiring every letter the screenwriters typed onto paper. I won't give away the ending to you, but it will definitely surprise you. There is a lot of thrilling moments in Manchurian Candidate, which lacked in the original 1962 version. The dialogue flows exceptionally well, and the direction provided by Jonathon Demme (director of Silence of the Lambs, and brother to the late Ted Demme) is simply marvelous.
The strongest aspect of Manchurian Candidate is the astounding acting. Meryl Streep definitely gives the performance of the film. She does such an admirable job as a cut throat politician, she makes Academy Award Nominee Martin Sheen's performance int he West Wing look like Keanu Reeves' performance in Little Buhda. Streep will definitely receive her eighth Academy Award Nomination for her work in this (books closed). It's utterly amazing how much better she tackles the role of Eleanor Shaw than Angela Lansbury (although she was very good too), it's INCREDIBLE. Denzel Washington gives a better performance than Frank Sinatra in the original by far, and I have to say I was beyond impressed with Liev Shrieber's career groundbreaking performance as vice president nominee Raymond Prentiss Shaw. Only up until three hours ago did I acknowledge him as one of the best 20-something-year-old actors today. Even though Shrieber isn't as excellent as Laurence Harvey (who originally had the role in the 1962 version), he creates this wonderful in depth character, that only truly talented performers can pull off. If Liev Schrieber plays his cards right he may get his first ever Oscar nomination, along with the (in my opinion) most talented actress of all time, Meryl Streep. Denzel Washington will be skipped for a nomination this year, because his work in this is the least impressive out of the three main players.
The supporting cast is mostly strong, with bit parts played by actors like the Midnight Cowboy himself, Jon Voight, and Dean Stockwell as the president of Manchurian Global, the company funding the mind control of Raymond Prentiss Shaw (Live Shrieber's character). The Golden Globe winning Jeffrey Wright from HBO's acclaimed miniseries Angels in America, does a pitch perfect job as a emotionally distressed soldier dealing with the terrors of war. Miguel Ferrer has a tiny part as a anal retentive a-hole (big surprise there) and Vera Farminga is very creepy as the British scientist behind the ghastly plans of Manchurian Global. The only disappointment of the cast is Kimberly Elise (playing the role of Psycho's Janet Leigh in the 1962 original film). She isn't just not good, she's terrible. She is absolutely awful, and almost every scene she is featured in she ruins the dramatic mood, by her dreadful acting skills. Tom Cruise must have taught her to act. They really could of cast any other twenty-something-year old African-American female to do a better job. Hell, even my dog Prudence could have given a better performance that Kimberly Elise. Even though she is surrounded by enormous amounts of talent, she really shits on the movie whenever she can.
So in closing, I highly recommend The Manchurian Candidate, despite it's minimal flaws. So far, Manchurian Candidate is the best film of the summer. I'm really hoping The Village to be good though, we'll see… (review written 7/30/04) Grade: B+ (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, Arizona) -
MCT:December 30, 2007
An OK thriller about an experiment with soldiers mind and create a president (short version). A decent story but maybe a little bit to slow for my taste. Meryl Streep makes a great performance and Denze is good as allways.
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my government teacher had a theory that dentists could insert tracking devices in fillings. he said that as long as the patient was induced, who would be the wiser?
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MCT:December 13, 2007
Great movie. Plays on conspiracy theories and does a good job at it. Denzel Washington puts on another amazing performance.
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itbegins2005posted 144 days ago
