Knife Fight (2012)

A political strategist juggling three clients questions whether or not to take the high road as the ugly side of his work begins to haunt him.

Director:

Bill Guttentag

Writers:

Bill Guttentag, Chris Lehane

Stars:

Rob Lowe, Jamie Chung, Julie Bowen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rob Lowe	...	Paul Turner
Julie Bowen	...	Peaches O'Dell
Saffron Burrows	...	Sophia
Jamie Chung	...	Kerstin Rhee
David Harbour	...	Stephen Green
Eric McCormack	...	Larry Becker
Jennifer Morrison	...	Angela Anderson
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Penelope Nelson
Richard Schiff	...	Dimitris Vargas
Amanda Crew	...	Helena St. John
Michelle Krusiec	...	Shannon Haung
Chris Mulkey	...	Roger Fillmore
Davey Havok	...	Jimmy McSorley
Eddie George	...	Tony Blanchard
Brooke Newton	...	Tawny Shearson

Storyline

If a political candidate is personally flawed, but stands to make a positive difference in millions of lives, would you help him win? That question looms over the life of "true believer" Paul Turner (Rob Lowe), a savvy strategist sharply maneuvering politicians out of scandal and into public office. With the help of a bright young assistant (Jamie Chung) and a seedy operative (Richard Schiff), Turner spins every news cycle and a shrewd reporter (Julie Bowen) on behalf of his clients: a philandering Kentucky governor (Eric McCormick), a blackmailed California senator (David Harbour), and an idealistic doctor turned gubernatorial candidate (Carrie-Anne Moss). When the ugly side of Turner's work begins to haunt him, he learns that even in the bloodiest of battles, sometimes you have to fight clean.

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Plot Keywords:

red panties | panties | two word title | title spoken by character | 

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Taglines:

When they're at their worst, he's at his best.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Borba noževima

Filming Locations:

Bay Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,661

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,661

Company Credits

Production Co:

Divisadero Pictures, Knife Fight

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carrie-Anne Moss on her character Penelope: "Because she works in a clinic, she sees people every day, and sees the truth of what's happening, and how people are struggling for jobs, struggling for medical care, struggling for education. And she just really wants to make a difference, and her decision to run for governor doesn't come from her ego at all. It comes from this really pure intention. So I really like that about her. She's sort of that innocent light that wants to make a difference."

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Quotes

Paul Turner: You don't get the outsized talent without the outsized weakness.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Julie Bowen/Rocket City Rednecks/Milo Greene (2012)

User Reviews

It's dangerous to believe your own nonsense

The first rule of satire is remember that it's satire. Because there are three types of political movies. One, the Mr Smith Goes to Washington true believer movie; two, the anti political nihilist flick like The Parallax View and lastly, the satire. The two points you have to include in a satire are a, humor and b, a broad sense of farce. The problem this movie has is that it started with the goal of being satire but halfway through it drank the Kool Aid and capitulated to becoming Mr Smith. By the end, the people we're supposed to be poking fun at have become moral crusaders for the forces of good and all the things we were poking fun at have become virtues. It's neither one nor the other but a watered down mixture of both. The dirty tricks and outright crimes they commit are swept away as nothing more than data points on the road to moral supremacy. If your cause is just then not only do the ends justify the means but the dirtier they are the more virtuous the end. So without understanding how or that it is this movie becomes the most nihilistic of them all.