THE CONTENDER
Review by John Beachem
* *
Directed by: Rod Lurie Written by: Rod Lurie
The vice president of the US has died, and President Evans (Jeff Bridges) must select a new one. The primary candidate in everyone's minds is the popular Governor Hathaway (William L. Petersen), who was proclaimed a national hero when he tried to save a woman whose car flew off a bridge. Instead, Evans chooses Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), a popular former Republican. The people seem willing to go with this choice, but the evil Senator Runyon (Gary Oldman) is a friend of Hathaway's, and doesn't want Hanson to win. He digs up dirt about her with the help of the young and ambitious Senator Webster (Christian Slater). The dirt is that she engaged in an orgy back in her college days, and is therefore not morally fit to be a vice-president. The president and his chief of staff, Kermit Newman (an excellent Sam Elliott), panic and want Hanson to attack back. Hanson refuses, saying she won't stoop to such a level and that it isn't right that people are digging into her past in such a way. The only problem facing her now is that Runyon is head of the committee who will decide if she is fit to be vice-president.
Before you read anything in this review, I should let you know that I did something no movie critic should do, and something I haven't done in years. I walked out of this movie. I know, that's a crime, and if you don't want to read the rest of this review because of it I completely understand. I really tried to stay for the whole running time, I thought to myself: "self, you've suffered through movies like "Battlefield Earth" and lived to tell the tale, how bad can this be?" While "The Contender" is obviously no "Battlefield Earth", it had one massive element working against it. What was that? Well, the fact of the matter is, I was so insulted by this movie I simply couldn't watch it anymore. Alright, let me get one thing out in the open right now for those of you who haven't guessed it from previous reviews. I'm quite conservative. Now, let me explain something before you throw your hands up in the air and say, "Well that explains why he didn't like it, he's biased, his opinion doesn't count." While I'm conservative, I love movies, and am therefore used to a left-wing slant in nearly all Hollywood films. I can tolerate a lot because of this, but I couldn't tolerate "The Contender". In fact, the only thing that kept me in my seat for almost two hours was the acting.
Joan Allen ("Face/Off") leads the film's impressive cast with an impressive performance. Much as I disliked this movie, I'm sure it's going to garner a few nominations come Oscar time for acting if nothing else. Allen plays Hanson calm, cool, and collected at all times, and this is exactly how the character should be played. If she'd gone into hysterics at any point it would have destroyed all the character's credibility. Gary Oldman ("The Fifth Element") overacts with a vengeance as the conniving Runyon, but Oldman is the most fun to watch when he's overacting. The character of President Evans is woefully underwritten, but Jeff Bridges (whom I will always think of as the dude from "The Big Lebowski") does the best he can, throwing in a few much needed humorous moments. Christian Slater ("Very Bad Things") is good as the naive young congressman, but in my opinion the most impressive performance came from Sam Elliott ("The Big Lebowski"). Elliott, looking almost unrecognizable without a great big moustache, manages to turn a character who was written as nothing more than a cliche into the most real person in the film. He is able to play such a wide range of emotions on his face it's almost a shame he's always hidden it with that moustache. Watch how he plays the scene where he first finds out about Hanson's past. You can feel his rage pulsing out of the screen. Philip Baker Hall ("Magnolia") makes a brief but good appearance as Hanson's father.
Let's face it, you're not going to find a conservative movie that deals with politics in Hollywood these days. You're not even going to find a middle of the road one. All political thrillers coming out of Hollywood have a leftist slant, though they try to cover it up by throwing little tidbits to the right. Look at "Wag the Dog" (which I loved), about a conservative president who has a sexual relationship with a minor, and has it covered up by a fix-it man. That had a decidedly leftist slant, but it didn't shove it in our faces, cram it down our throats, and finally beat us about the head with it. You want an example from the movie? Try this one on for size: Hanson is out jogging, wearing pristine white jogging clothes, running through a graveyard, past an American flag while dramatic music soars. This scene cuts back and forth with Runyon sitting in his office, smoking a cigar, plotting her downfall with all the other evil Republicans. The room is darkly lit, and all the Republicans have hateful looks on their faces It's a nauseating scene and I saw three people walk out of the theater during it, never to return. Yet I stayed, disgusted though I was. I didn't actually walk out for another 45 minutes or so. The scene that finally snapped my will like a twig was when Hanson is addressing the senate committee. She raises her head proudly, stares the evil senators down, and proclaims every liberal philosophy she upholds while astonishingly cheesy dramatic music swells in the background. I made a Jeff Bridges style scream of rage and stormed out of the theater.
Okay, politics aside, how does "The Contender" hold up compared to other political thrillers? Writer/director Rod Lurie (last seen trying to direct "Deterrence") directs the film with all the talent of a first year film student. The pacing is a joke, the camera work is simply bizarre (he switches from a jittery hand-held camera to a professional panning style and back for no apparent reason), and the film's message (women are held to a double standard in sexual conduct) is delivered with all the subtlety of a knife in the naval. Plus, to top that all off, the script is dull. I saw people falling asleep all around me, and I frankly envied them. Why is it boring? Because every twist thrown at us is seen coming a mile away. The score, by composer Larry Groupe ("I Woke up Early the Day I Died"), is full of the sort of cheesy, overblown, dramatic stuff that would make Trevor Rabin proud. "The Contender" runs a long 126 minutes. I'd recommend the movie to left-wingers and people who don't care about politics, and like their political thrillers without thrills. I give the movie two out of five stars. By the way, does anyone find it a coincidence that such a leftist movie is coming out this close to the election?
Comments? Send to: johnbeachem@dependentfilms.net
Past reviews can be found at: http://www.epinions.com/user-elerad or http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?John+Beachem
* * * * * - One of the best movies of the year. * * * * - Great flick, try and catch this one. * * * - Okay movie, hits and misses. * * - Pretty bad, see it at your own risk. * - See this one only if you enjoy pain.
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