Review of The Special Relationship (2010) by Tom R — 17 Sep 2010

Fantastic look at the early Blair years, his friendship with Bill Clinton, and their subsequent clash over Kosovo. Blair is still played by the talented Sheen who injects the character with the right amounts of naivete and resolve, at just the right moments. Instead of Helen Mirren as the Queen to verbally maneuver with, this time we have Dennis Quaid to personify Bill Clinton.

Quaid is brilliant. His personality, his accent, his mannerisms, all of them are very well done. It's a real pleasure to watch as he constantly treats Blair as the young protege, while Blair clearly desires a more balanced special relationship. And Blair isn't as idealistic or moral as he was portrayed in 'The Queen'. He's much more cognizant of the political consequences of his actions than before, arguing with Clinton for a ground invasion of Kosovo to save his own neck, as much as to stop the bloodshed.

Granted, it's not a perfect film and oversimplifies these complicated events into a 90 minute running time. For example, in the opening scenes showing the history of the two leaders, no mention is given to the incidents in Somalia and Rwanda that would have colored Clinton's views on sending in ground troops. But, the substance of what's on screen is enjoyable. It just needed more fleshing out.