The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: While not the classic its predecessor is, this update is well-acted and conjures a chilling resonance.
The Manchurian Candidate Videos & Photos
Movie Info
A psychological thriller in which a career soldier, Army Major Bennett Marco, grows suspicious about his experiences in Desert Storm after Squad Sergeant Raymond Shaw, son of the powerful Senator Eleanor Shaw, becomes a candidate for Vice President.
| Rating: | R (for violence and some language) |
| Genre: | Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense |
| Directed By: | Jonathan Demme |
| Written By: | George Axelrod, Daniel Pyne, Dean Georgaris |
| In Theaters: | Jul 30, 2004 Wide |
| On DVD: | Dec 21, 2004 |
| Box Office: | $65.7M |
| Runtime: |
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Cast
as Ben Marco
as Eleanor Shaw
as Raymond Shaw
as Al Melvin
as Rosie
as Jocelyn Jordan
as Sen. Thomas Jordan
as Col. Howard
as Col. Garrett
as Delp
as Robert Arthur
as Eddie Ingram
as Robert Baker
as Owens
as Villalobos
as Wilson
as Atkins
as Jameson
as Laurent Tokar
as Boy Scout
as Boy Scout
as Scout Dad
as Scoutmaster
as TV Commentator
as Gillespie
as Ellie's Mysterious A...
as Political Aide
as Political Aide
as Political Aide
as Congressman Healy
as Mr. Secretary
as Green Room Official
as Vaughn Utly
as Senator from Florida
as Congresswoman Becket
as Senator Wells
as Congressman Flores
as Himself
as Congressman Rawlins
as `Gordy'
as Media Icon
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Newscaster
as Tyler Prentiss
as Senator John Shaw
as Mysterious Arabic Wo...
as Atticus Noyle
as General Sloan
as General Wilson
as Rear Admiral Glick
as Robert Arthur's Wife
as Vera Farmiga
as David Donovan
as Mark Whiting
as Jay `J.B.' Johnston
as Agent Evan Anderson
as Secret Service Agent
as Secret Service Agent
as Army Transcriber
as Army Transcriber
as Night Clerk
as Mirella Freeman
as Rosie's Cousin
as Rosie's Cousin's Men...
as Reporter
as Reporter
as Reporter
as Campaign Security
as FBI Agent Jonas
as FBI Agent Williams
as FBI Agent Ramirez
as `Shadow' Agent Volk
as Late Night Comedian
as Library Clerk
as Library Patron
as Jordan's Aide
as Jordan's Aide
as Rosie's Sidekick
as Yelling Kid
as `Abe Lincoln'
as `Statue of Liberty'
as `Betsy Ross'
as `George Washington'
as `Uncle Sam'
as `MLK'
as `JFK'
as `American Eagle'
as Governor Edward Nels...
as Churchgoer
as Jimmy
as The Guy with the Sha...
as Arthur's Mother
as Arthur's Child
as Arthur's Child
as Victory Party Direct...
as Victory Party Celebr...
as Shaw's Aide
as Shaw Aides
as Klaus Bachman
as Political Pundit
as Political Pundit
as Political Pundit
as Political Pundit
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LoginCritic Reviews for The Manchurian Candidate
All Critics (203) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (162) | Rotten (39) | DVD (30)
Happily, this extremely timely entertainment matches, even perhaps surpasses its predecessor.
If it isn't the original's equal, The Manchurian Candidate conjures up an air of menace sufficient to make most modern thrillers look like romantic comedies.
Sleek remake is more violent than original.
This humorless and nonsensical update of The Manchurian Candidate - a total misread of Frankenheimer's classic original - never quite engages, devolving the original's camp and satire into self-serious melodrama.
A rather decent imitation in the end with political subtext and very good performances.
It is as shocking now as it was forty years ago, but nothing in the 2004 version approaches that level of intensity, intelligence, or audacity.
Audience Reviews for The Manchurian Candidate
A superbly acted and skillfully scripted story. Denzel, as always is terrific, but the big surprise is Liev Schreiber's awesome performance as a confused politician puppetered by his rich mother. The ending is appropriate and the story is rich in character color.
Super Reviewer
The Manchurian Candidate for me is an average thriller that works well enough because of a good cast. I enjoyed the film, but did feel it lacked something to really make it something excellent. If it wasn't for the cast, the film definitely wouldn't have the same effect, as the cast here are well chosen in their respective roles and are perfect in the parts they play. This is a good thriller, but is nothing really excellent. The film does have an entertaining story, which is engaging, however it lacks something really special to make this film memorable. The performances, like I stated is what really makes this film worth seeing, and above all makes the film interesting for the viewer. The Manchurian Candidate is better than what most people may think, and is a good remake for what it is, but of course it does not beat the original. Director Jonathan Demme delivers a good thriller with this remake even though it's not perfect, the film does deliver and entertaining two hours. I think that the film is underrated and was quite good considering that this is a remake. The cast like I said were great, and is one of the key aspects as to why the film works. There are things that could have been improved upon, but for the most part, this remake of the classic Manchurian Candidate is good enough entertainment for anyone looking for a good thriller. I really enjoyed this film and thought it was very good, but it was of course at times uneven.
Super Reviewer
The Manchurian Candidate was a good movie to me, despite what all these other people say. Its about a man who starts to suspect from his dreams tha him and his squad in the war were brainwashed and he must discover why and it leads him into secrets he should've never gotten into. The cast is incredible and I know Meryl Streep ios great but as usual Denzel in my opinion steals the show, his intensity and face expressions are just genius acting. The plot was very slow, but the more and more we watch it becomes even more and more interesting and we want to see how this will all end. I have never seen the original so I can't say much about that, but what I can say is I enjoyed this film and I think thats all that matters.
Super Reviewer
The Manchurian Candidate Quotes
| Eleanor Prentiss Shaw: | Sergeant Raymond Shaw. |
| Eleanor Prentiss Shaw: | But... but when you smile... oh darling, when you smile, that's what I live for. When you smile. |
| Major Bennett Marco: | This isn't an election, this is a coup. |
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