Jonathan Demme's eerily contemporary remake of The Manchurian Candidate brings John Frankenheimer's 1962 masterpiece of chilling dark satire and dangerous political corruption up to date for a world in which corporations seemingly pocket candidates, terrorists threaten freedom, and fear-mongering has virtually become a campaign platform. The original's stiff, communist-brainwashed war hero and would-be presidential assassin (Laurence Harvey) has become an unstable war-hero vice-presidential candidate (Liev Schreiber) made very susceptible to suggestion by a defense-contracting conglomerate (a little Cheney-Halliburton-ish--except for the "war hero" part). In place of the first film's controlling and devious behind-the-scenes mother (the brilliantly ominous Angela Lansbury in '62), the remake features Meryl Streep as a bulldozing, hawkish senior senator. The obligatory girlfriend (Kimberly Elise) has been refashioned into someone altogether more pivotal to the plot, and Maj. Bennett Marco, the nightmare-haunted central character (then Frank Sinatra, now Denzel Washington) who pieces together the startling conspiracy, is now a victim of Gulf War Syndrome and at times hangs onto his own sanity by a very thin thread. Unfortunately, director Demme gets somewhat carried away with other, less inspired revisions, subjecting his A-list cast to credibility-stretching B-movie machinations such as sci-fi brain implants, mad scientists, and overly convenient plot devices. Still, this is pretty powerful stuff up to the flailing last act. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Jonathan Demme and screenplay co-writer Daniel Pyne, the 14-minute “making-of” featurette “The Enemy Within,” the 12-minute “The Cast” behind-the-scenes featurette, five deleted/extended scenes (10 min.) with optional commentary, two outtakes segments (3 min.) with optional commentary, Liev Schreiber's screen test, the three-minute segment “Political Pundits” (with optional commentary) and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an interesting if flawed remake.] (R. Blackwelder)
The Manchurian Candidate
Paramount, 130 min., R, VHS: $31.99, DVD: $29.95, Dec. 21 Volume 19, Issue 6
The Manchurian Candidate
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