The Contender (2000)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Rod Lurie

Writer (WGA):

Rod Lurie (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.

Plot:

Sexy secrets from a womans past come to light as she runs for Vice President.

Plot Keywords:

President | Senator | Political Thriller | Political | Change Of Mind

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 18 nominations

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Shelly Runyon
Joan Allen	...	Laine Hanson
Jeff Bridges	...	President Jackson Evans
Christian Slater	...	Reginald Webster
Sam Elliott	...	Kermit Newman
William Petersen	...	Jack Hathaway
Saul Rubinek	...	Jerry Tolliver
Philip Baker Hall	...	Oscar Billings
Mike Binder	...	Lewis Hollis
Robin Thomas	...	William Hanson
Mariel Hemingway	...	Cynthia Charlton Lee
Kathryn Morris	...	Paige Willomina
Kristen Shaw	...	Fiona Hathaway
Douglas Urbanski	...	Makerowitz
Noah Fryrear	...	Timmy

Also Known As:

Rufmord - Jenseits der Moral (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #37565) | Iceland:L (theatrical rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

Jeff Bridges plays a bowling President of the USA. He also plays a bowler in The Big Lebowski (1998). Both movies also feature Sam Elliot.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Runyon and his cronies are plotting on how to reject Senator Hanson's nomination, Runyon's cigar goes from smaller to larger as the scene progresses.

Quotes:

Kermit Newman: The people of this nation can stomach quite a bit. But the one thing they can't stomach is the image of a vice president with a mouthful of cock.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Contender: The Making of a Political Thriller (2001) (V)

deserving

Great flick, worthy of a 10 and higher rating than IMDb users have given it. Mulitple worthy performances, esp. Jeff Bridges in one of his best among trademark eccentric roles; writing is flawless and no cheesy plot twists geared towards non-intelligent viewers, typical for American viewers. And the final tie-in with the first seen, tough to see coming and proves the writing's prowess. A ++ in every sense, one of the most underrated classics of all time. A plethora of actors here making great performances - Sam Elliot, William Petersen, Christian Slater - who hasn't done much since, nor much in the few years prior, and of course Oldman who I could not recognize for a good portion of the flick - kudos to the producers for leaving the cast till the end, I had the benefit of not reading publicity on the film which kept me guessing and enriched the experience. Again, go see this film and let's give it the ranking it deserves fellow IMDb users!