Archive for March, 2005
194 – The Manchurian Candidate
Posted by frothy in Manchurian Candidate (2004) on March 14, 2005
Wow, excellent movie. Jonathan Demme basically updated the 1962 political thriller so that the soldiers were in the Gulf War (the first one), and added a few other twists, too.
Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) is the former captain of a patrol that was ambushed in the middle of the desert. After Marco was knocked out, Pvt. Raymond Shaw (Liev Schrieber) saved the entire patrol singlehandedly.
Or did he? Another former soldier from the platoon reports having a long series of bad dreams, dreams that seems to indicate a different chain of events that that remembered by Marco and the other soldiers. By this time, Shaw has successfully run for Senate under the “war hero” banner and is now angling for a spot on the presidential ticket. Orchestrating Shaw’s political moves is his mother Eleanor (Meryl Streep), a senator with more brass than most of the males in her profession.
Marco’s ability to discern real from fake blurs instantly and frequently; is it possible Shaw is not the hero all have made him out to be? In this slight rethinking of the classic, Demme hasn’t made the update any less creepy or less involving. Even those who saw the original won’t know which way to turn. Only debit, perhaps, is Streep (surprisingly!), who’s a bit one-note and hammy.
The Manchurian Candidate: ***1/2
193 – The United States of Leland
Posted by frothy in United States of Leland on March 14, 2005
Leland P. Fitzgerald (Ryan Gosling) has committed an unspeakable crime, the stabbing of the retarded younger brother of his ex-girlfriend Becky (Jena Malone). No one, least of all Leland himself, can explain why he’s done what he’s done, whether the act was premeditated or spontaneous, done out of hatred or love.
In the detention center, Leland meets Pearl Madison (Don Cheadle), a onetime novel writer who sees in Leland’s case a second opportunity. But Pearl also wants to understand Leland’s motivation and takes him under his wing as a confidante in the prison.
The film jumps from the past to the present several times, often allowing the past to act as a context to the present, and vice versa. Writer/director Matthew Ryan Hodge shows how Leland’s crime – and the events leading up to it – affect the people in his life, from Becky to her family to Leland’s mother (Lena Olin) and estranged father (Kevin Spacey) to Allen (Chris Klein), a young man who is staying with Becky’s family after the death of his own mother.
The chief asset in the movie is Gosling, who is perfectly cast as the 15-year-old pseudopsychopath. Like Bartleby the Scrivener, Gosling’s Leland just exists; he shows little emotion during the film, but instead his expressions belie an ocean of guilt, sadness, love, and rage.
Each of the main actors offered perhaps their best work to date, save Spacey (who’s not exactly a novice). Special praise is due to Malone and Klein, two young performers who are better known for lighthearted comedy fare than the heavy drama of this movie.
Another huge benefit in terms of the story is that none of the characters is flawless; none are heroes out to save the day. This is simply not a black-and-white movie.
The United States of Leland: ***1/2
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