In his review of the original 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate, my colleague Dan Jardine pointed out that the film wasn’t just a thriller about Cold War shenanigans, but also a satire of American political life. Not all viewers of the original likely saw what Mr. Jardine was referring to, as the political commentary was at least somewhat muted in comparison with the larger than life mind control intrigue going on all around it.
Well, Jonathan Demme’s (Silence of the Lambs) remake should not have the problem of viewers missing its political subtext. In fact, it really isn’t subtext at all, as he fills the screen with references to America’s obsession with the ‘war on terrorism’ and the political manipulations that take place to cash in on it. The 2004 Manchurian Candidate doesn’t just suggest that voters are easily led in particular directions – it shows clearly how slick marketing of fear and ‘easy’ solutions to it are commonplace in post-2001 America.
The story – which is similar to the original despite a few significant changes – focuses on Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), a troubled veteran of the first Gulf War, who finds himself spiralling – more than ten years after that conflict – into conspiracy theororizing when he begins to have strange dreams about a traumatic incident that occurred following an ambush on Marco’s unit in Iraq. Consistent with the dreams of another member of the unit, Marco begins to suspect that some form of mind control is being practised, and he eventually links this to a huge politically-connected multi-national conglomerate and to Raymond Shaw (Live Schreiber), another member of the unit who is now a politician running for vice president of the U.S.
The untangling of a complex web of events takes some time, and is complicated by the fact that Marco’s mental state seems more than slightly fragile, so we don’t know whether he’s got things all figured out or is simply nuts. And amidst all this, an election campaign is underway, and we are treated to numerous images of political parties using the imagery of military might and heroism to win political support. Since Shaw is a war hero (he was credited with saving Marco and the rest of the unit in Iraq), he’s a natural for the vice presidency, even if he is an emotionally stunted Oedipus (Shaw’s relationship with his mother – played by Meryl Streep – is creepily close to outright incest).
The beauty of how Demme has handled this film is two-fold. First, he elicits outstanding performances from his cast, and then he allows the movie’s political themes to dominate over the much less interesting corporate conspiracy storyline. Washington is fabulous as the troubled Marco, leaving us entirely unsure as to his sanity, while still making him a sympathetic, tormented, character. Schreiber is one of Hollywood’s best at playing low-key psychopaths, and he’s right on the mark here again, making Shaw Coldly calculating at times, and a vulnerable victims at others. And Streep is Streep, immersing herself in her character – a power-hungry manipulator – and making her both repulsive and strangely charismatic. The supporting players – Jon Voight, Kimberly Elise and others – are also solid.
Although it drags somewhat in the middle and is perhaps weighted down a bit too much by all the layers of conspiracy that the filmmakers ask us to accept, this is a compelling film that – while satirizing today’s politics – presents a world awfully close to the real one that we live in. This, of course, makes everything that happens all the more disturbing, helping turn this Manchurian Candidate into a winner.
Presents a world awfully close to the one we live in, which makes everything that happens all the more disturbing, helping turn this Manchurian Candidate into a winner.- Brian Webster
