The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers (WGA):

Richard Condon (novel)
George Axelrod (1962 screenplay)

Release Date:

30 July 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

This summer everything is under control.

Plot:

In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.

Plot Keywords:

Gulf War | Soldier | Kuwait | War Hero | Persian Gulf

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 7

11:45 PM

TNT

Cast

Jeffrey Wright	...	Al Melvin
Pablo Schreiber	...	Eddie Ingram
Anthony Mackie	...	Robert Baker
Dorian Missick	...	Owens
Jose Pablo Cantillo	...	Villalobos
Teddy Dunn	...	Wilson
Joaquin Perez-Campbell	...	Atkins
Tim Artz	...	Jameson
Denzel Washington	...	Ben Marco
Robyn Hitchcock	...	Laurent Tokar
Liev Schreiber	...	Raymond Shaw
Antoine Taylor	...	Boy Scout #1
Joseph Alessi	...	Boy Scout #2
Raymond Anthony Thomas	...	Scout Dad (as Ray Anthony Thomas)
Bill Irwin	...	Scoutmaster

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

USA:129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40839) | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Brian De Palma was (briefly) considered to direct this film, a suggestion made by one of De Palma's former representatives. However, the idea was ultimately nixed by producer Scott Rudin.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The length of Tom Jordan's paddle (it's too short for his height) and the way he paddles the kayak reveals that he's not an experienced kayaker as the movie states.

Quotes:

[manipulating Raymond]
Eleanor Shaw: Sergeant Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: [Abruptly] What...?
Eleanor Shaw: Sergeant Raymond Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: Mother, I...
Eleanor Shaw: Raymond Prentiss Shaw.
Raymond Shaw: Yes.
Eleanor Shaw: Listen.

Movie Connections:

References "Larry King Live" (1985)

Soundtrack:

New Year's Eve

the original is much better (5.5/10

this remake of the 1962 classic leaves a lot to be desired.it doesn't live up to the original.the plot is just too hard to follow,in my opinion.it's not straight forward at all.it's suspenseful and dramatic,but not really all that exciting.i didn't care much about the characters here.in the original,i felt really invested in the characters.it was much more clever,and psychological.Meryl Streep is a fine actress,but the character was played to much better effect by Angela Lansbury in the original.the same can be said of the characters portrayed by Denzel Washington and Liev Schreiber.Sinatra played the same character as Schreiber and Laurence Harvey played the same character as Washington. to be fair,it could be that the characters were written better in the original,which i think is the case.bottom line,this version pales in comparison to the original.my vote for The Manchurian Candidate (2004) is a 5.5/10