Review of The Manchurian Candidate (2004) by Matt A — 10 Apr 2010

Inevitably dragged to the chopping block for being (gasp!) a remake of a deservedly classic thriller, Jonathan Demme's take on The Manchurian Candidate is a great film in its own right. Just as bizarre in a contemporary context as its predecessor was 50 years ago, Demme is not afraid to take risks with this film. His protagonist is a mumbling, slurred mess, played with a surprising clarity by Denzel Washington. Washington effectively conveys that the mystery always seems to be at the tip of his fingers, its answer lurking in his brain, and that makes the movie's increased focus on him really pay off. Meryl Streep is reliably dynamic as the reimagined Ms. Shaw/Iselin, though I do think she pales a little bit next to Angela Lansbury's interpretation. Where Streep is an immediate elemental force to all who meet her, talking and walking like a regular news pundit, Lansbury gave her character a creeping insidiousness that made her all the more evil. The one person who I didn't really care for is Liev Schreiber. I cannot buy him as a political power player, even with Streep pulling the strings; he looks too weaselly and hard-faced to kindle any sort of public affection. I think there was a little bit of shadiness going on in the casting of this movie (note also that his brother got an admittedly small part), and even though he is technically sufficient, there are so many other actors who could have done this part better.

To be honest, I really only remember the fundamental's of the original's plot. This film is unwaveringly faithful to those roots while unabashedly modernizing much of the in-between; I feel that many of the people who dislike this remake don't hate it because of the technique or content, but simply out of sacred-cow closed-mindedness. This film makes a good case for the argument that, ultimately, a remake is still its own movie, no matter how closely it follows or how much it deviates from the one that came before it. Perhaps this was only greenlighted to make money - stranger things have happened in Hollywood - but Demme clearly cared about the product he was making here. It is uncynical and creative and generally exciting to watch, even if you already know the outcome. Definitely recommended, as long as you keep a fair perspective on things.