WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

mustafadokumaci2000 You will see a technology that you can imagine that can influence today's politics.

fudanchu-725-268123 I am a huge fan of the original film, and when I first saw the remake I disliked it. It is impossible for me to go back to my thoughts at the time, because now I believe that if anything the Jonathan Demme version is better. But it does not have to be better to be superb. Denzel Washington gives the performance of a lifetime (except of course he has given many performances of a lifetime) as a lonely Gulf War veteran suffering from some very troubling dreams. He simply lives the character of a once strong man reduced to a humiliating marginal life, not comprehending how he has come to this point or why. He slowly gets purpose back in his life as he investigates the basis for his dreams. Meryl Streep similarly embodies the role of the senator and mother who uses her son for political advantage. The scene where she persuades her colleagues to support her son as the VP candidate is perfect. Similarly, Liev Schreiber is awesome as Raymond Shaw the son whose values are so different from his mother's, and who is one of the main victims of the Manchurian conspiracy. Two reasons for preferring the remake. First, the performances are overall stronger, or perhaps its just that the characters are more believable. In particular, Denzel Washington and Kimberly Elise outshine Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh. This does not apply to Angela Lansbury of course. Second, the plot of the original has been changed to make it more credible. In the original one puzzle is why Raymond Shaw, the son of a prominent politician, is being used as an assassin. George Axelrod, the original scriptwriter, explained this with some great dialogue, but this question is resolved differently and more sensibly (and more frighteningly) in the remake. Finally, the ending of the remake is much richer. Its hard to say much more but I have found that with each viewing I have come to appreciate the new ending more and more. I love the final lines from the original of course, but the final moments of the remake reflect the fact that Jonathan Demme was perhaps a more human-centred director than John Frankenheimer. Interestingly, the Frankenheimer film that is closest to this Manchurian candidate in tone is perhaps Seconds, and it is clear from that comparison that what Demme does effortlessly comes with effort to Frankenheimer. (Although I would not have suggested Demme for The Train, or French Connection 2 or Grand Prix). The only things I absolutely prefer in the original are the trigger words "why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire" (which are kind of silly but unforgettable and chilling) and the scene between Raymond and his mother Eleanor when she gives him his instructions and justifies her choices.

jimbo-53-186511 Gulf war veterans Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) and Raymond Shaw (Live Schreiber) are comrades in Kuwait in 1991, but when their platoon is attacked under mysterious circumstances the two men end up separated with little recollection of what happened after their platoon was attacked. Fast forward 13 years and the two men meet again under very different circumstances and both men soon learn that they were part of a terrible experiment.First of all I would like to say that I have not seen the original film so anyone who wants a blow-by-blow analysis between the two films is best off looking elsewhere, but for what it's worth this is my take on this version of The Manchurian Candidate...I believe that this is categorised as a Conspiracy thriller and in that respect it works very well; it's easy to become swept up in the paranoia of the whole thing and the fact that Washington's character is always just about on the right side of sanity helps to keep things interesting and help give the film a sense of urgency. Although some elements of the narrative are slightly predictable (clearly there is a government conspiracy of some kind involved), but in these type of films knowing what is involved is only half the battle and knowing why said party is involved and how this aspect of the story is going to be resolved is the other half of the puzzle and that's where The Manchurian Candidate does come good. Live Schreiber is the other strong link in the film and is on the other side of the fence in the early stages - in comparison to Washington's character he is apathetic and content in his elevated position in society and although he thinks Washington is crazy at first he slowly starts to believe that his old commander is perhaps more sane than anyone else. These two characters are what drive this picture forward and they manage to steal the limelight from veterans such as Streep and Voight - the former to me shows off a bit and the latter isn't given much to do.What I liked about this film though is that it is a clever film with a strong narrative, but it's never a film that goes overboard by trying to be too clever - in other words it doesn't tie itself in several plot twist knots. The ending is clever, but it's clever in a way that gets you thinking rather than being a silly curve ball style ending.My only real criticism with this film (and it is minor) is that Demme does get carried away stylistically at times - some of the dream sequences are overdone and a tad silly, but that's about as far as my criticism goes with this film. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't seen the original film so cannot comment on what that film is like, but for fans of conspiracy thrillers this version is definitely worth a look.

museumofdave One can watch Hitchcock's Psycho again and again even knowing the plot, as the seemingly simple style combine with surprising and brilliantly quirky performances to create a memorable experience. Because I know and admire the original and unsettling Manchurian Candidate, the plot surprises in the competent remake are telegraphed, and even though the theme of an American president controlled by corporate forces is more than timely, it was hard for me to get personally involved in the convoluted story.That said, Meryl Streep has a grand time essaying The Mother From Hell, and Liev Schreiber plays her zombie-like spawn with more conviction than boring Laurence Harvey did in the original. who merely seemed to be type-cast. My recommendation: if you haven't seen the original, this can be an excellent conspiracy thriller, as the craftsmanship is exceptional, and it is tightly pulled together; if you are an old fan of the original, the disorienting shivers won't be there, but it's still interesting as a comparison, and it's a well-made construct.