The Manchurian candidate – movie review

I often used to hear this term or come across it on editorials and political discussions, without fully understanding the context or reason. When I stumbled on this movie, was pleasantly surprised by the content and it was quite engaging as well. Pity that I saw the watered down version as the original version of the 60’s which was a direct adaptation of the novel, seemed to have more spine than the later version that I saw, where in the makers had bent over backwards in ensuring that the Chinese market for the movie is not affected by the original storyline nor to antagonize the sleeping dragon over nothing. The theme being so unique and fresh that even on a dumbed down remake it felt fresh. Wonder how much hysterical it would’ve been and the effect it might have had on the audience then, polarized by cold war. The story deals with brainwashing of an US soldier, who happens to come from an influential political family, headed by a headstrong ambitious woman, who is hell bent on making her son the next big thing on US politics. Her son, the brainwashed soldier, has haunting dreams that are conveniently negated by his mom. He meets one of his fellow mates, his group captain actually, from the war, who wants to meet him to discuss about those nightmarish dreams that keeps haunting not just them but some of their other team mates as well. When one of the guy whom the captain visits to meet, commits suicide, he figures something is clearly amiss and sets out on a mission to uncover the truth. What happens next and till the final moments of the movie, there is not a single dull period. The climatic twist was awesome and slightly open ended as well. Denzel Washington, my favorite actor next only to Tom Hanks, plays the role of the captain. The “Manchurian candidate” is played by the guy who has owned villain roles across many a recent movies. He is vulnerable, weak, aggressive and ruthless as the situation demands. Meryl streep channelises her inner Hillary Clinton in donning that role I guess. She aces the role as an ambitious politician, wily woman, manipulative mother and heartless killer all in one and yet doesn’t go overboard in making her character an outright villain. She actually charms everyone around, including the viewers in her portrayal of that character, which otherwise was downright negative.

The timing of the movie watch, coincided with me re-reading a tamil thriller book, 7.83 hrtz by Sudhakar kasthuri, which also deals with mind control. The novel being a more recent release and probably one of the very few in tamil that deals with actual science in fiction, complimented the movie watch. Couldn’t wonder but amaze at the original thought process of the author who came up with this theme in the late 60’s.