Knife Fight

This comedic drama poses a provocative question: namely, if a political candidate is personally flawed but stands to make a positive difference in millions of lives, would you help him attain public office? Known as the “master of disaster,” manipulative Paul Turner (Rob Lowe) is a top political strategist. Aided by a young assistant (Jamie Chung) and a shadowy investigator (Richard Schiff), Turner wheels-and-deals with the news media, particularly an ambitious San Francisco TV reporter (Julie Bowen), to help politicians. Turner's clients include a philandering Kentucky governor (Eric McCormack) who had an affair with an intern; a California senator (David Harbour) being blackmailed by a sexy masseuse who's represented by a high-profile attorney (Alan Dershowitz); and an idealistic San Francisco clinic doctor-turned-gubernatorial candidate (Carrie-Anne Moss). “To win in politics, you have to be the sort of person who would bring a gun to a knife fight,” Turner maintains, repeatedly asking himself: “What would Machiavelli do?” Fans of Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing will relate to director Bill Guttentag's scandal-riddled satire (co-written with veteran Democratic political consultant Chris Lehane, who served as an advisor to President Bill Clinton), which is reminiscent of films such as Ides of March and Wag the Dog. Cynical and savvy, Knife Fight is a small film with a big message about the ends justifying the means. Recommended. (S. Granger)