Review of Vice (2018) by Antonio R — 25 Dec 2018

Adam McKay's second foray into serious filmmaking dodges the milder attributes of its predecessor -- "The Big Short" -- in favor of an approach that one could argue is a bit of a cinematic tirade.

Now, whether or not that tirade is warranted may depend on your political background -- something I don't necessarily want to get into here. But I'll say this much; "Vice's" biggest drawback may be the fact that it doesn't really wish to seek an audience other than the one it'll most assuredly pocket.

The movie is a bit of a political finger-wagging towards those in favor of or even ambivalent towards the figures depicted. Still, Bale's evocation is nothing short of astounding, and it is good to get some kind of take nowadays, instead of the watered down, apolitical cardboard we'd get from a more mainstream version of this material.

I just wish it was a little less hysterical.