Friday, July 30, 2004 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

MOVIE REVIEW: 'The Manchurian Candidate'

Paranoia Strikes Deep: New 'Manchurian Candidate' emerges as one of the summer's tautest, most topical thrillers

Maj. Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), center, tries to contact fellow Gulf War veteran turned vice presidential nominee Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), right, alias "The Manchurian Candidate."

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

And just because you're a remake of a cinematic classic doesn't mean you can't be a smart, high-wire thriller in your own right.

Both statements apply to "The Manchurian Candidate," a gripping update of the legendary 1962 political satire that centered on a communist plot to undermine the U.S. political process.

In the new "Manchurian Candidate," a corporate conspiracy triggers the intrigue, as a multinational conglomerate resolves to keep its collective fingers in all sorts of profitable pies. Even if that policy means a few -- or maybe more than a few -- people have to die.

Although this "Manchurian Candidate" fully stands on its own, those who've seen the original will appreciate the clever ways in which this version not only pays homage to but plays with its dual sources: the 1962 movie and the Richard Condon novel that inspired it.

In both versions, the premise remains the same: an Army platoon ambushed during combat (the Korean War in the original, the first Gulf War in this version) and supposedly saved by the aloof Sgt. Raymond Prentiss Shaw (Liev Schreiber, taking over the role originated by Laurence Harvey), a "fortunate son" who wins the Medal of Honor for his heroics.

Shaw's battlefield triumph launches a political career that sends him to Congress.

It's an inevitable destination, considering that his formidable mother (Meryl Streep, succeeding the indelible Angela Lansbury) is a senator in her own right, the widow of another senator and the daughter of an influential industrialist.

But Shaw's commanding officer, Maj. Ben Marco (Frank Sinatra in the original, Denzel Washington here) hasn't been quite so successful in his post-war life.

As part of the Army's public relations team, Marco extols the virtues of Sgt. Shaw's heroism to civilian audiences eager to hear tales of all-American valor.

Yet something seems slightly off whenever someone recalls Sgt. Shaw's valiant deeds that fateful day. Every soldier he saved uses exactly the same phrases to describe his heroism. And some of his fellow veterans, Marco included, remain plagued by some mighty strange nightmares.

Nightmares that include visions of torture and brainwashing. Visions that suggest that Shaw's actions didn't necessarily match everyone's memories of them.

Army psychologists chalk it up to post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet Marco wonders whether it's something far more sinister.

He's determined to discuss it with his old Army buddy, Sgt. Shaw. But it's not so easy to talk to Shaw now that he's vaulted into the vice presidential slot in the upcoming election -- thanks in no small part to the influence of his smothering, ever-loving mother. Thus begins an even more harrowing nightmare as Marco delves into the insidious forces that seem to be fueling Shaw's meteoric rise.

Working from Condon's novel and George Axelrod's 1962 script, screenwriters Daniel Pyne ("The Sum of All Fears") and Dean Georgaris ("Paycheck") create a similarly claustrophobic, off-kilter atmosphere of dread.

Even more crucially, this new version acknowledges a changed world when it comes to women's roles. In the original, they were behind-the-scenes presences (Angela Lansbury as Raymond's monstrously manipulative mom) or obligatory accessories (Janet Leigh as Maj. Marco's instant girlfriend).

In this version, Raymond's mother wields up-front power as a member of both business and political dynasties. And the woman Marco turns to for help (Washington's "John Q" co-star Kimberly Elise) emerges as far more than the supportive sounding board Leigh played.

Granted, this "Manchurian Candidate" lacks the original's elegantly absurdist edge. And the storytelling sometimes gets a bit too convoluted for its own good. But it boasts numerous biting references -- sometimes sardonic, sometimes chilling -- to today's partisan, paranoia-charged political atmosphere.

Little wonder Oscar-winning "Silence of the Lambs" director Jonathan Demme feels so at home.

Rebounding nicely from his botched "Charade" remake, 2002's "The Truth About Charlie," Demme demonstrates sure command of mood and pace, ratcheting up the suspense as the movie moves through a surrealistic maze of nightmares that prove all too nightmarishly true.

Bringing those nightmares vividly to life: a cast that truly deserves the adjective "all-star," from Oscar-winner Jon Voight (as a crusading senator who embodies the quaint notion of integrity) to Tony-winner Jeffrey Wright (as a fellow Gulf War vet). Such Demme regulars as Elise ("Beloved"), Ted Levine ("Silence of the Lambs' " other chilling killer, Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb) and Dean Stockwell ("Married to the Mob") also contribute telling moments.

As for the movie's starring triumvirate, none of them erases the memories of Sinatra, Harvey and Lansbury. (After all, who could?) But each forges vivid new memories.

Washington surrenders his usual take-charge power, burying it beneath layers of terrifying, almost paralyzing memories. Streep brings an elegant menace -- to say nothing of an undisguised relish -- to every deliciously devious move.

And Schreiber, at long last, gets a high-profile starring role worthy of his singular talents. (No, the "Scream" movies don't count.) As "The Manchurian Candidate's" haunted title character, Schreiber conveys Shaw's to-the-manor-born power -- and the desperate powerlessness beneath it -- with equal, subtle expertise.

It's a toss-up as to whether we'll still be talking about this "Manchurian Candidate" more than four decades from now, as we do the 1962 version.

But for now, this "Manchurian Candidate" emerges as one of the summer's tautest, most topical thrillers. And that counts as a "yes" vote in any election year.