The Manchurian Candidate
(Paramount Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2004)
review by Head Cheeze

1962's The Manchurian Candidate tells the tale of Raymond Shaw, the son of a wealthy and powerful political family, and a hero of the Korean War, who single-handedly saved his entire squad from an ambush. But did he? Not if the recurring nightmares of his former commanding officer, Marco, are correct. Ultimately it is revealed that Shaw, Marco, and their comrades were brainwashed, and that Shaw is being used as a political assassin by the Chinese and Russian military who are behind the whole charade.

For it's time, the film (and, of course, the Richard Condon novel upon which it was based) was not only controversial, it was quite unthinkable, as this was a time when few who lived here would believe it possible for the enemy to infiltrate their land, let alone question their own government.

However, for director Jonathan Demme's remake, the paranoid political climate of 2004 is ripe for such a tale, and, with a few tweaks of Condon's original story, the director has managed to make the film's message more relevant than ever.

In this version, Raymond Shaw (Schreiber) is a hero of the Gulf War, who single-handedly saved his platoon from an Iraqi ambush. However, the only problem is, he doesn't remember doing it. Meanwhile, Ben Marco ( Washington) remembers something else entirely. After years of therapy, medication, and people telling him he was suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, Marco comes across a former member of the same platoon who tells him he's been having dreams about that time; the very same dreams Marco has been having.

Ben seeks out Shaw, whose manipulative mother (Streep) has secured him a spot on the Presidential ticket, and tells him what it is he thinks may have happened to them in Iraq. At first, Shaw doesn't want to believe it, but Marco's suggestions have shaken something loose; something dark and horrifying; something that leads straight to the corridors of the most powerful corporation in the United States-Manchurian Global.

Where the original Manchurian Candidate was a dark, satirical look at government and the national fear of the "Red Menace", Demme's new version is a completely different animal altogether. It's a lean, mean, delusion machine that feeds on the current unease of the American citizen, and offers us a compelling tale that is not as far out as it seemed nearly half a century ago. By changing the Manchurian element from a hotbed of communist activity to a Halliburton-like corporate entity, Demme and company make their statement loud and clear, and draw many a parallel to the U.S.'s current...err...situation.

Washington is fantastic as the suffering Marco, while Streep sizzles as Eleanor. Nearly lost between these two dynamic performances is an equally impressive, low-key turn by Schreiber as the tortured Raymond. Demme's direction is self-assured, letting his actors carry the film, as is his strength, and the updated script by Daniel Pyne is truly provocative stuff.

The DVD from Paramount features a host of extra materials, including commentary track, deleted scenes, a pair of featurettes, outtakes, and much more,

The Manchurian Candidate is one of the few truly great films of 2004, and it's delirious mix of suspense, sci-fi, and conspiracy make for a truly frightening and thoroughly entertaining experience that will haunt you for days.