  ‘The
Contender’
 Released on video Tuesday,
March 6, 2001
Rated
R Approx
127 Minutes DreamWorks
Home Entertainment -2000
Written
and directed by Rod Lurie
Starring:
Jeff
Bridges
Christian
Slater
Sam
Elliot
Joan
Allen
Gary
Oldman (also the executive producer)
Warnings:
This
movie uses graphic language to describe sexual scenes and presents
some nudity.
[MARCH
10, 2001]
The box said “two thumbs up” and
“Thriller!”
|
|
In recent years,
the "two thumbs up" endorsement meant that I probably
was going to find the movie to be a loser. "Thriller"
usually means I may endure it, but probably am not going to be
thrilled with it.
However, in the
case of "The Contender," both my thumbs are up too and I
am indeed thrilled.
"The
Contender" is a gritty movie, a political "action"
film of sorts. It is a thriller because you don't have a clear
shot at the plot until it is finally revealed for you. At the end,
you look back on the film and say, "Yeah, I should've seen
that coming."
"The
Contender" is gritty because it focuses on a dirty fight
between political rivals to appoint a new Vice President of the
United States. The President (played very aptly by Jeff Bridges)
selects a woman, Senator Lane Hanson of Ohio (Joan Allen), for the
job against the advice of party officials and his own advisors.
The previous Vice President died somehow in office - but "The
Contender" never tries to explain his passing.
The whole plot of
this story is wrapped up in the confirmation hearings and the
process of bringing an appointee to office or sending 'em off
packing.
Gary Oldman plays
Sheldon Runyon, the Republican chairman of the selection
committee. The highly respected, powerful Sendator seems bent on
not only denying the President his day in the sun, but also seems
to be seeking to destroy the very career of Senator Hanson.
[to
top of second column in this review]
|
Two
things about this movie made a good impression on me.
First, the acting was
excellent. Oldman plays a perfect bad guy in this film (he seems to
have the bad-guy act down pat). Jeff Bridges, who I thought incapable
of playing a convincing President, stepped up to the plate and
delivered. Christian Slater played the part of a freshman congressman
who was seeking to do the right thing on principle, and was perfectly
cast for the part. Finally, Joan Allen was wonderful in her portrayal
of the contender under siege.
Second, the plot was
dynamite. This movie seems to make you move away from certain
characters and make certain assumptions, but you find yourself making
a couple of 90 degree turns before it's done. In the spirit of
"The West Wing," it is full of political intrigue and the
power of the Washington scene. "The Contender" is a film
about respect and dignity, and the rocky road to realizing those two
values.
The first hour of the
movie has a single weakness: the lack of actors on the set portraying
political operatives, appointees, devotees and those holding office
makes you believe the story less. They needed a fuller cast to make it
seem like Washington and government.
This is not a partisan
film about the usual struggle between Republicans and Democrats, but
instead is a story about the dynamics of power, accusation and truth.
So, I recommend this
film to you if you enjoy a good thriller, if you enjoy stories about
the political struggles of this nation, and if you like a good fiction
about how truth prevails.
I give it 3 ˝ stars
(out of five).
[midge]
midge@lincolndailynews.com
|
