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BULWORTH
Warren Beatty directed, produced and co-wrote the very innovative BULWORTH. Long associated with liberal politics, he here tears into the political world with its frauds, with no holds barred. This results in a hard-hitting, way out film that is a pleasure . . . at least most of the time . . to watch.
As the titles appear on the screen, we are barraged with a platitude, the political commercial, "We stand at the doorstep of a new millennium." Over and over and over.
Jay Bulworth is an incumbent United States Senator running for re-election in the 1996 primaries. He has been campaigning hard and is a nervous wreck. When Graham Crockett (Paul Sorvino) a crooked lobbyist approaches to make a deal for him to vote "correctly" on some insurance legislation, Bulworth asks and receives a ten million dollar life insurance policy. He then arranges to have someone assassinate him, thus assuring that his daughter will be financially secure.
No longer having to worry about what to say and act in order to be re-elected, he goes wild with his new-found freedom of saying whatever he wishes, however outrageous and politically incorrect it may be. It is this new person about whom the movie revolves, frequently in scenes of great hilarity. In all of this, Bulworth suddenly finds he wants to live, especially after having met the beautiful black Nina (Halle Berry) and has to contact his assassin, Vinnie (Richard Scott Sarafian) to cancel his murder. That is more easily said than done.
Bulworth visits Black churches and tells them, in rap, what they are doing wrong, how they will never get anything they want unless they become activists and stop supporting the black athlete who most believe stabbed his wife. To Hollywood VIPs he tells that their movies are worthless junk. He alienates Jewish bigwigs. In short, he runs a campaign such as no one has nor will ever run again.
Where I got lost was when the wild Bulworth starts doing rap. It was just a bit too way out for me who believes "rap music" is an oxymoron. In this case, though, the lyrics (when I could understand them) were very good and to the point.
Many fine supporting roles but most noteworthy is that of Oliver Platt as Murphy, Bulworth's Chief of Staff, who stays with him through thick (but in the end) not thin.
Directed by Warren Beatty. 3.5 Bytes
4 Bytes = Superb 3 Bytes = Too good to miss 2 Bytes = Average 1 Byte = Save your money
Copyright 1998 Ben Hoffman
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