Saw it tonight after 'The Village' was sold out, but man, I think I ended up seeing the creepier movie by far. A superbly well-done thriller; I'll admit I never saw the original, so I dunno what Demme and company changed, but man, this movie sure worked.
Great story idea, but poorly executed. There seemed to be a lot of time in the middle that dragged with nothing happening, and then when they got to the key storyline points (such as the mother being involved and Jon Voight's siding with Denzel) they felt very rushed. Are we to honestly believe that a vice-presidential candidate would side with an apparent crazy man on all the security watch lists after about an hour? It really felt like they'd wasted so much time in the middle that they got to the end and realized they had to wrap it up quick, like when a bad wrestling match gets the signal to go home early.
Well, this movie has cracked my Top Ten for the year thus far (from 10 to 1: Anchorman, Shrek 2, Harry Potter 3, Bourne Supremacy, Before Sunset, Manchurian, Kill Bill V2, Fahrenheit, Spidey 2 & Eternal Sunshine). Why? The finish. The finish to a movie is what we've waited the entire movie for, so a lot rests on how it turns out, just like a wrestling match. The Village was an average match with a shitty DQ finish. Manchurian Candidate was a very good match with a great finish that tied most of the threads together.
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Originally posted by BigVitoMarkAre we to honestly believe that a vice-presidential candidate would side with an apparent crazy man on all the security watch lists after about an hour?
Normally, you'd be right, but Shaw trusted Marco from the war. Plus, you have to figure that with all the brainwashing Shaw was undergoing, he had to have a sense that *something* was wrong.
I really liked the direction in this movie. It was so stylized and fit each scene perfectly.
When the FBI agent shot Marco, which shoulder did she shoot him in? He had the gun in his right hand, but at the end, his left arm was in the sling. I thought she shot him in the right, but I guess I might be wrong on that.
I liked how they established Jocelyn as his love interest, only to use that to show just how brainwashed he was. The twist with the FBI agent was nice. I can't believe Marco didn't figure out his role in all this sooner (especially since he was so concerned about how the president was going to die.)
Was Arthur supposed to be assassinated on election night, or did I miss the passage of time until the inaguration party? That seemed a bit rushed, or are the rules clear about what happens when a President-elect dies?
The cameos by Al Franken were amusing, and the faux news channel was so graphically obnoxious it was hysterical.
I just saw it tonight and I have many issues and questions. The story itself was really good and Denzel was great. Was Shaw getting with his mom? And what about the ending, was Shaw in on it? And why did the government agency change Marco into another guy at the end? I havent been this confused since I saw Basic.
Originally posted by BWTI just saw it tonight and I have many issues and questions. The story itself was really good and Denzel was great. Was Shaw getting with his mom? And what about the ending, was Shaw in on it? And why did the government agency change Marco into another guy at the end? I havent been this confused since I saw Basic.
Spoiler Below: Highlight text to read
The FBI & Army edited out the footage of Marco entering so that they could pit everything on Manchurian Global to take them out for good. The entire plot was orchestrated by Manchurian, and the FBI Agent who knew Marco believed him and they had enough proof presumably for them to protect him. Shaw wasn't realy in on it, he was brainwashed. So was Marco. Shaw hated his mom for screwing up his one good relationship, but she seemingly was...I don't know. She was just creepy as hell.
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