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Back Shelf Beauties
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The Manchurian Candidate Anyone who has seen the original Manchurian Candidate with Frank Sinatra, or read the book by Richard Condon, knows the general plot, but, don't be worried, it's not a complete remake (you need some surprises in life). In many ways, The Manchurian Candidate with Denzel Washington is a re-imagining (there's that pesky word again) of the story, much like Thunderbirds is a re-imagining of a former campy kids TV show. Many of the same elements and ideas are carried over from the original, but this Manchurian Candidate is updated to make more sense in our current world, and fit modern cinema standards and what the audience is likely to believe (this one has a modern score, character motivations are more acceptable to 2004 viewers, and the big twist fits our generation's idea of evil). Even though I am big fan of the original, this one is pretty good, too. Denzel Washington stars as Major Bennett Marco - a Desert Storm vet who has been suffering from horrible nightmares related to his service. Back in 1991, Iraqi soldiers attacked his unit, and only the brave leadership of soldier and subsequent Medal Of Honor Winner Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) got them through those 3 horrifying days in the desert. Now, Shaw is a Congressman and celebrated Vice Presidential candidate, however, Marco is starting to question what really happened during those 3 days. What is the truth? What does Marco, and the American voting public, need to know about Shaw?
If you're willing to suspend disbelief, and avoid trying to make connections
between the story and modern politics, The Manchurian
Candidate is a solid, entertaining, complex thriller (even Meryl
Streep has tried to fight off the idea that her character, Raymond's mother
- the conniving, calculating Senator Eleanor Demme does a great job conveying the needed tension and urgency to the audience, so we can feel just like Marco, even as he seems to be going down a slippery slope to madness. The actions scenes are much more high octane than you might expect in a political thriller, where simplistic, overwrought and melodramatic statements about ideology typically dominate. Instead, Demme keeps the complex plot from becoming hard to understand, eschews politics, and throws the audience right into the meat of the story as we try to figure out what is wrong with Raymond Shaw, Marco and others who were on this mission. As I mentioned, Streep is on fire in The Manchurian Candidate. If you ever wondered what critics mean when they say an actor is chewing up the scenery, watch Streep. She's over the top, outlandish, evil, and deliciously entertaining to watch. However, it's fun, not distracting nor worthy of mockery. Streep comes alive and leaps of the screen with her character. Anyone who has seen the original remembers Angela Lansbury's take on the character, so Streep had some big shoes to fill. It's a wonderful performance that stays with you after you leave the cineplex. However, Demme lets Washington down. He puts in a strong performance as Macro, but, as Washington is attempting to show us Marco's sleep deprivation, mental turmoil, and increasing, possibly justifiable, paranoia, Demme doesn't give him enough of a chance to explain the behavior. I think Demme needs to let the audience know a little more about what is going on in Marco's life, the sleepless nights, his dedication to the Army that forsakes him, and more. This would have made Washington's performance easier to understand and appreciate. Physically and mentally, Washington performs, but I think it gets lost on members of the audience that aren't familiar with the story. Ultimately, I most liked Schreiber. In the original Manchurian Candidate, Laurence Harvey played Raymond Shaw as a jerk, but Schreiber makes the character more complex and sympathetic, even magnetic and charismatic at times. He makes us believe Shaw wants to do the right thing, if he could just figure out what the right thing is supposed to be. It's another fine performance from an underrated, under appreciated actor. The Manchurian Candidate is a solid movie that could use a few tweaks, but it's the best political thriller in a long time. 3 Waffle (out of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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