| Photos (see all 111 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 10) |
| 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 | |
| Kimberly Elise | ... | Rosie | |
| Al Franken | ... | TV Commentator | |
| Jon Voight | ... | Senator Thomas Jordan | |
| Meryl Streep | ... | Eleanor Shaw | |
| Paul Lazar | ... | Gillespie | |
| Danny Darst | ... | Ellie's Mysterious Aide | |
| Stephanie McBride | ... | Political Aide | |
| Molly Hickok | ... | Political Aide | |
| Victoria Haynes | ... | Political Aide | |
| Adam LeFevre | ... | Congressman Healy | |
| Roger Corman | ... | Mr. Secretary | |
| Leona E. Sondreal | ... | Green Room Official #2 | |
| Zeljko Ivanek | ... | Vaughn Utly | |
| Jim Roche | ... | Senator from Florida | |
| Ann Dowd | ... | Congresswoman Becket | |
| Obba Babatundé | ... | Senator Wells | |
| Harry Northup | ... | Congressman Flores (as Harry Northrup) | |
| James B. Howard | ... | Himself (as James Beattie Howard) | |
| Walter Mosley | ... | Congressman Rawlins | |
| Gordon Brummer | ... | "Gordy" | |
| Gayle King | ... | Media Icon | |
| Brad Holbrook | ... | Newscaster #7 | |
| Stacey Newsome-Santiago | ... | Roving Reporter | |
| Kristen Shaughnessy | ... | Newscaster #4 | |
| Prue Lewarne | ... | Newscaster #8 | |
| Forrest Sawyer | ... | Newscaster #1 | |
| Ukee Washington | ... | Newscaster #9 | |
| Ed Crane | ... | Newscaster #6 | |
| Kaity Tong | ... | Newscaster #2 | |
| Roma Torre | ... | Newscaster #3 (as Roma Torre-Lopez) | |
| William Meisle | ... | Tyler Prentiss | |
| Dan Olmstead | ... | Senator John Shaw | |
| Sakina Jaffrey | ... | Mysterious Arabic Woman | |
| Simon McBurney | ... | Atticus Noyle | |
| Charles Napier | ... | General Sloan | |
| Robert W. Castle | ... | General Wilson (as Robert Castle) | |
| John Aprea | ... | Rear Admiral Glick | |
| Tom Stechschulte | ... | Robert Arthur | |
| Jane DeNoble | ... | Robert Arthur's Wife | |
| Vera Farmiga | ... | Jocelyne Jordan | |
| Jude Ciccolella | ... | David Donovan | |
| Dean Stockwell | ... | Mark Whiting | |
| John Bedford Lloyd | ... | Jay "J.B." Johnston | |
| David Keeley | ... | Agent Evan Anderson | |
| Christopher M. Russo | ... | Secret Service Agent #1 | |
| Michael C. Pierce | ... | Secret Service Agent #2 | |
| Ted Levine | ... | Colonel Howard | |
| Miguel Ferrer | ... | Colonel Garret | |
| Marin Ireland | ... | Army Transcriber | |
| Glen Hartell | ... | Army Transcriber | |
| Tracey Walter | ... | Night Clerk | |
| Alyson Renaldo | ... | Mirella Freeman | |
| Edwidge Danticat | ... | Rosie's Cousin | |
| Kenneth Utt | ... | Rosie's Cousin's Mentor (as Kenny Utt) | |
| Bruno Ganz | ... | Delp | |
| Enrique Correa | ... | Reporter #2 | |
| David Neumann | ... | Reporter #3 | |
| Neda Armian | ... | Reporter #4 | |
| Paul Johnson | ... | Campaign Security | |
| James Michael McCauley | ... | FBI Agent Jonas (as James McCauley) | |
| BeBe Winans | ... | FBI Agent Williams | |
| Darrell Larson | ... | FBI Agent Ramirez | |
| Kate Valk | ... | Agent Volk | |
| Beau Sia | ... | Late Night Comedian | |
| Duana Butler | ... | Library Clerk | |
| Big Jim Wheeler | ... | Library Patron | |
| Lauren Roselli | ... | Jordan's Aide | |
| Stephen Richardson | ... | Jordan's Aide | |
| Shing Ka | ... | Rosie's Sidekick | |
| Malcolm Simpson | ... | Yelling Kid | |
| Cassius Kumar Wilkinson | ... | "Abe Lincoln" (as Cassius Wilkinson) | |
| Josephine Demme | ... | "Statue of Liberty" | |
| Gabriela Fung | ... | "Betsy Ross" | |
| Denzel Delahoussaye | ... | "George Washington" | |
| Aaron Scoenfeld | ... | "Uncle Sam" | |
| Geovonne Long | ... | "MLK" | |
| Jonathan Borst | ... | "JFK" | |
| Michael Shehata | ... | "American Eagle" | |
| Tom Chapin | ... | Governor Edward Nelson | |
| Jiggs Walker | ... | Churchgoer (as Lewis 'Jiggs' Walker) | |
| Joey Perillo | ... | Jimmy | |
| Buzz Kilman | ... | The Guy with the Shades | |
| Marie Runyon | ... | Arthur's Mother | |
| Eliza Simpson | ... | Arthur's Child | |
| Julie Adamy | ... | Arthur's Child | |
| Andre B. Blake | ... | Victory Party Director | |
| Tymberly Canale Harris | ... | Victory Party Celebrity Soldier | |
| Lilly McDowell | ... | Shaw's Aide | |
| Joshua Elrod | ... | Shaw's Aide (as Josh Elrod) | |
| Craig Branham | ... | Klaus Bachman (as Craig Branam) | |
| Sidney Lumet | ... | Political Pundit | |
| Reno | ... | Political Pundit | |
| Anna Deavere Smith | ... | Political Pundit | |
| Roy Blount Jr. | ... | Political Pundit | |
| Fab 5 Freddy | ... | Political Pundit | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Reggie Austin | ... | Skid Row Resident #1 (uncredited) | |
| Jaclynn Tiffany Brown | ... | Campaign Staffer (uncredited) | |
| E. Jean Carroll | ... | Reporter #5 (uncredited) | |
| Thomas Daniel | ... | Naval Sea Captain (uncredited) | |
| Wally Dunn | ... | Burly Passenger (uncredited) | |
| Daryl Edwards | ... | Train Conductor (uncredited) | |
| Reginald Footman | ... | Skid Row Resident #2 (uncredited) | |
| Ann Pearl Gary | ... | Skid Rown Resident #4 (uncredited) | |
| James Howard | ... | Political Party Member (uncredited) | |
| Hugh Karraker | ... | TV Moderator (uncredited) | |
| Jeremy Knaster | ... | Caretaker (uncredited) | |
| Carol Jean Lewis | ... | Abby (uncredited) | |
| Al Lopez | ... | Waiter (uncredited) | |
| Pete Macnamara | ... | FBI Agent (uncredited) | |
| Josh Mowery | ... | VP Candidate (uncredited) | |
| Mitch Roberson | ... | Skid Row Resident #3 (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Jonathan Demme | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Richard Condon | (novel) | |
| George Axelrod | (1962 screenplay) | |
| Daniel Pyne | (screenplay) and | |
| Dean Georgaris | (screenplay) | |
Produced by | |||
| Scott Aversano | .... | executive producer | |
| Jonathan Demme | .... | producer | |
| Ilona Herzberg | .... | producer | |
| Peter Kohn | .... | associate producer | |
| Polly Mallinson | .... | associate producer | |
| Scott Rudin | .... | producer | |
| Tina Sinatra | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Rachel Portman | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Tak Fujimoto | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Carol Littleton | |||
| Craig McKay | |||
Casting by | |||
| Kathleen Chopin | |||
| Laura Rosenthal | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Kristi Zea | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Teresa Carriker-Thayer | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Leslie E. Rollins | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Albert Wolsky | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Larry M. Cherry | .... | hair designer: Mr. Washington (as Larry Cherry) | |
| Daisy Curbeon | .... | hair stylist: Ms. Elise | |
| Angel De Angelis | .... | hair stylist | |
| Naomi Donne | .... | makeup artist | |
| Marjorie Durand | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
| Carl Fullerton | .... | makeup artist: Mr. Washington | |
| Patricia Grande | .... | additional hair stylist | |
| J. Roy Helland | .... | hair stylist: Ms. Streep | |
| J. Roy Helland | .... | makeup artist: Ms. Streep | |
| Todd Kleitsch | .... | special makeup effects artist | |
| Diane Maurno | .... | makeup artist | |
| Dionne Pitsikoulis | .... | makeup artist | |
| John Quaglia | .... | assistant hair stylist (as John D. Quaglia) | |
Production Management | |||
| Paul Deason | .... | unit production manager: Victory Party unit (as Paul Elliott Deason) | |
| Sean Garrett Fogel | .... | production supervisor: Washington D.C./New York (as Sean Fogel) | |
| Angela Heald | .... | production supervisor: Victory Party unit (as Angie Heald) | |
| Paul A. Levin | .... | post-production supervisor | |
| Denise Pinckley | .... | unit production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Arthur Anderson | .... | first assistant director: Kuwait Desert unit | |
| Doug Coleman | .... | second unit director: Kuwait Desert unit | |
| Antoine Douaihy | .... | second unit director: Washington D.C./New York | |
| Betsy Friedman | .... | additional second assistant director: Kuwait Desert unit (as Betsy Friedman-Palmieri) | |
| Anthony Hemingway | .... | first assistant director: Washington D.C./New York (as Anthony M. Hemingway) | |
| David Kelley | .... | second assistant director: Kuwait Desert unit | |
| Peter Kohn | .... | first assistant director | |
| Maggie Murphy | .... | second assistant director | |
| Anish Savjani | .... | dga trainee | |
| Matthew Sirianni | .... | second second assistant director (as Matt Sirianni) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Connie Brink | .... | special effects coordinator (as Conrad F. Brink) | |
| Edward Drohan IV | .... | special effects technician (as Edward A. Drohan IV) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Cheryl Bainum | .... | visual effects executive producer: Hatch | |
| Heather Baker | .... | digital compositor: Perpetual Motion Pictures | |
| Robert J. Baldwin | .... | CG artist: Barbed Wire FX (as Robert Baldwin) | |
| Susie Brubaker | .... | visual effects coordinator | |
| Korey J. Cauchon | .... | visual effects producer: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Dominic Daigle | .... | matte painter: Hatch | |
| Avi Das | .... | CG supervisor: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Eric Dehaven | .... | digital compositor: Barbed Wire FX (as Eric DeHaven) | |
| Mark Edwards | .... | visual effects coordinator: Hatch | |
| Tim Everitt | .... | CG artist: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Deak Ferrand | .... | lead matte painter: Hatch | |
| Amanda Finkelberg | .... | CG artist: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Adam Hawkey | .... | digital compositor | |
| Brad Herman | .... | CG artist: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Sharre Jacoby | .... | visual effects senior producer: New Wave Entertainment | |
| Peter Jivkov | .... | CG artist: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Joe Landauer | .... | visual effects editor | |
| Richard Malzahn | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Dina Mande | .... | digital effects artist | |
| Harry Moreau | .... | digital compositor: Perpetual Motion Pictures | |
| Bill Phillips | .... | digital compositor | |
| Stephanie Pollard | .... | visual effects coordinator: Perpetual Motion Pictures | |
| Carl Seibert | .... | visual effects executive producer: Barbed Wire FX | |
| Maciek Sokalski | .... | digital compositor | |
| Kimberly Sylvester | .... | visual effects executive producer: Perpetual Motion Pictures | |
| Jim Towler | .... | miniature maker: Hatch | |
| Luis Velandia | .... | visual effects gaffer: Perpetual Motion Pictures | |
| Diana Marie Wells | .... | digital artist (as Diana M. Wells) | |
| Andrew Whitelaw | .... | matchmover: Hatch | |
| Andrew C. Whitelaw | .... | digital artist: HATCH | |
| Toby Wilkins | .... | visual effects supervisor: New Wave Entertainment | |
| Scott Williams | .... | creative supervisor: New Wave Entertainment | |
| Kieran Woo | .... | visual effects production manager: Barbed Wire FX (as Kieran T. Woo) | |
| Marcia Xintaris | .... | visual effects coordinator | |
| Juliette Yager | .... | visual effects producer | |
Stunts | |||
| Brian Keith Allen | .... | stunts | |
| Roy T. Anderson | .... | stunts | |
| Chris Barnes | .... | stunts | |
| Bruce Benson | .... | stunt pilot | |
| Tim Buchanan | .... | stunts | |
| Mike Burke | .... | stunts | |
| Bob Colletti | .... | stunts | |
| Chris Colombo | .... | stunts | |
| Craig Davis | .... | stunts | |
| Peter Epstein | .... | stunts | |
| Cory Fleming | .... | stunt pilot | |
| Al Guthery | .... | stunt pilot (as Alvin R. Guthery) | |
| Jery Hewitt | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Bret Kiene | .... | utility stunts | |
| Joanne Lamstein | .... | stunt double: Meryl Streep | |
| David Paris | .... | stunt pilot | |
| Robert Powell | .... | stunt double: Denzel Washington | |
| Austin Priester | .... | stunts | |
| Tony Rhune | .... | stunts | |
| John T. Scanlon | .... | stunt pilot (as John Scanlon) | |
| David Shumbris | .... | stunts | |
| Mam Smith | .... | stunt double | |
| Brian Smyj | .... | helicopter stunts | |
| Brian Smyj | .... | stunt rigger | |
| D.J. Surgent | .... | stunt double | |
| Kym Washington | .... | stunt double | |
| Greg Wattkis | .... | stunts | |
| Carolyn Feldschuh | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Lois J. Drabkin | .... | casting assistant | |
| Kimberly Mullen | .... | casting: Florida | |
| Mark Mullen | .... | casting: Florida | |
| Jennifer Sabel | .... | extras casting associate | |
| Eric Zuckerman | .... | casting associate | |
| Grant Wilfley | .... | extras casting (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Pashelle Clayton-Robinson | .... | set costumer | |
| Charles C. Crutchfield | .... | additional costumer | |
| Marta Font | .... | costumer | |
| Rhonney Greene | .... | costume production assistant | |
| Addie Hall | .... | costume ager/dyer | |
| Addie Hall | .... | set costumer | |
| Barrett Hong | .... | costumer: Liev Schreiber | |
| Joni M. Huth | .... | costume shop supervisor | |
| Nina Johnston | .... | key set costumer | |
| Debbie Lucas | .... | seamstress | |
| Mary Jo McGrath | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Winsome G. McKoy | .... | additional costumer | |
| Christopher Peterson | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Kate Quinlan | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Frank Perry Rose | .... | costumer: Mr. Washington (as Frank Rose) | |
| Tom Soluri | .... | set costumer | |
| Thomas Stokes | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Ernest Leif Boyd | .... | apprentice editor | |
| Kate Eales | .... | assistant editor | |
| Abdul Franklin | .... | assistant editor | |
| Ann Gray | .... | post-production coordinator | |
| Marty Levenstein | .... | additional editor (as Martin Levenstein) | |
| Samara Levenstein | .... | assistant editor | |
| Jimmy Mann | .... | colorist: dailies | |
| Beth Moran | .... | assistant editor | |
| Jim Passon | .... | color timer | |
| Joe Violante | .... | dailies advisor (as Joey Violante) | |
Music Department | |||
| Nancy Allen | .... | associate music editor | |
| Jeff Atmajian | .... | orchestrator | |
| Bob Bornstein | .... | music preparation | |
| John Carbonara | .... | assistant music editor | |
| Gary Chester | .... | additional music recordist | |
| Junah Chung | .... | musician | |
| Chris Cozens | .... | music programmer | |
| David De Palo | .... | orchestrator | |
| Chris Dibble | .... | music mixer | |
| Chris Dibble | .... | music recordist | |
| Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis | .... | musician: additional music | |
| Lewis Jones | .... | assistant music engineer | |
| Michael Kosarin | .... | conductor | |
| James McBride | .... | musician: saxophone solos | |
| Nico Muhly | .... | orchestrator | |
| Sandra Park | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Suzana Peric | .... | music editor | |
| Rachel Portman | .... | orchestrator | |
| Lucas Richman | .... | conductor | |
| Patrick Russ | .... | orchestrator | |
| Julie Sessing | .... | music clearance | |
| Theodore Sperling | .... | conductor | |
| Jason Stasium | .... | digital score recordist | |
| Shea Taylor | .... | musician: saxophone solos | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Don Baer | .... | transportation co-captain: Florida | |
| Jon Bergholz | .... | transportation captain: Florida | |
| Edward Fanning | .... | transportation co-captain | |
| James Fanning | .... | transportation captain | |
| Caquias Geoffrey | .... | driver | |
| John H. Stephens | .... | driver | |
| Timothy Stephens | .... | driver | |
| Jeff Symanski | .... | picture cars | |
Thanks | |||
| Michelle Manning | .... | very special thanks | |
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| The Manchurian Candidate | The Outlaw Josey Wales | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | JFK | The Parallax View |
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I have to admit, I was horrified to see that someone was remaking the 1964 near-masterpiece. I had no intention of seeing it, but then I happened to catch Demme and Washington on "Charlie Rose", and Demme put my mind to rest that he was not trying to remake the original picture. I was still skeptic, but I decided to have an open mind and check it out for myself. I'm glad I did.
The only thing this film has in common with the 1964 film is a political background, a domineering mother, and the brainwashing angle (which is done significantly differently here). This film is about what's happening now, and it's as gutsy as any film in today's political climate can possibly get. The story is told through the inflamed, paranoid POV of a Gulf War veteran who tries to unveil a plot between a corporate hierarchy (that's involved in the defense industries and medical technologies among other things) and certain politicians who want to stake their influence on a vice presidential nominee. This 'influence' is achieved through the brainwashing of the nominee as well as several soldiers who had been stationed with him in Kuwait.
Political machinery and defense industries have always been dangerous bedfellows, but when the politicians actually have worked in, and have personal interests in those industries, the motivations of such a partnership can be used to exploit the public in all sorts of ominous ways. This film brilliantly places the sort of paranoia that can derive from such precarious matches as a sign of our times. Consciously or subconsciously, conspiracies are on all of our minds. Today, because there is so much secrecy in the current administration, no one knows just how terrible OR innocent these guys might really be. And where there is secrecy, there will be conspiracy theories galore. Paranoia is so commonplace in such a society that it is technically very easy for plots and lies to thrive healthfully. We tell ourselves, "the government is honest and probably has good reasons to keep secrets from the public, so those who see plots and conspiracies must all simply be deluded and paranoid. Right?"
The fact is that politicians can easily lie, and the media, instead of demanding the truth, puts outrageous spins on those lies claiming to present them as 'facts'. This becomes an almost intolerable static that begins to blot out all meaning. One of the most ingenious things about this film is in its use of that kind of static. Throughout much of the film, there is a cacophony of radios and TV spewing out their obligatory spins simultaneously, as well as the nearly constant sounds of traffic and people talking over one another. The people in this movie can hear, but no one is listening. There's also a proverbial static between science and technology and the moral questions that remain elusive. The survivors of the brainwashing experiment mentioned above, have little chips implanted in their backs that somehow aid the brainwashers. The chips could be some sort of homing device, or perhaps some sort of hormone moderator that's supposed to keep the men in the mental state that makes them more easily susceptible to hypnotic suggestion. Well, chips that can serve as homing devices, or that can regulate hormones and amino acids such as tryptophan, are in the experimental phase today. In other words, this isn't way-out science fiction here!
Okay, I know I'm sounding like I'm paranoid and that I'm saying that everything in this film can and will happen. Don't worry, I know this is just a movie and that the events depicted in it are EXTREMELY unlikely to ever take place. What I'm focusing on is how well the film takes themes, facts and situations that are topical and at least emotionally legitimate, and presents them in the context of a whopper of a good thriller. The film is fresh and audacious and honest in all of its approaches, with the one exception of Meryl Streep who seems to think she's in a Bette Davis movie. In the original "Manchurian Candidate" Angela Lansbury played her role, and she was appropriately icy, deliberate, and almost iconic in the way she carried her power. For some reason Streep tried to go to self-consciously comic proportions (you can almost see her winking at the audience saying "don't you just LOVE how bad I am?"). The rest of the performances however, are appropriately sober and solid. I never caught Washington acting, and Schrieber is masterful in the way he consolidates the conscious and subconscious friction of his character's agony into an invisible but palpable tension. The score by Rachel Portman is eerily reminiscent of Howard Shore's score for "Silence of the Lambs", and just as exciting and effective. And I can't help but thrill over Wyclef Jean's fantastic rendition of the CCR song "Fortunate One": a version as appropriate to this decade as the original version was to the late sixties (check out the lyrics: replace 'senator's son' with 'president's' son, and see if George W. Bush doesn't come to mind!).
Finally, is this film as good as the original version? They're so different I honestly can't compare. I can only say that this film is as appropriate to the political and sociological climate of today as the original was to its day. Don't forget both versions were based on a novel, so comparisons should be made in that context more than anything else (I haven't read the book so I can't comment on that). There are some loopholes in the current film's plot, and I do love the cinematic style of the original film more than this one. But as I was only a kid when the first film came out, this film has a slightly stronger emotional impression on me than the other one. I only hope all it stays science fiction!