The Manchurian Candidate, 2004

The Manchurian Candidate is a remake of a movie of the same title starring Frank Sinatra in 1962. I meant to see it before the 2004 version, but I've read the synopsis, and it sounds pretty much the same except not as sci-fi. The premise of both is that the son of a US political figure is brainwashed by a group that wishes to control him for their politcal gain. The plan is hatched by taking the entire army squad the son is in and brainwashing them all to believe that the son saved them from a perilous ambush. For this, the commanding officer of the group nominates him for the medal of honor. Years later, the commanding officer starts having nightmares about being brainwashed and goes on a dangerous journey when he starts to investigate. The 2004 version was watchable and entertaining, although Denzel Washington (played the officer) didn't really bring anything new to the table and Liev Schreiber was miscast as the son, in my opinion. Meryl Streep played the mother, and did a very good job. She was in a scene that made me very uncomfortable to watch, but I think helped to confirm her insanity and corruption. The screenplay was decent, but predictable at times. Positive things to note about the movie are the sci-fi technology, and the way the movie just makes you feel uncomfortable. I know that sounds like something you don't want, but it enhances the movie because we are supposed to be uncomfortable with the thought that something like this (as remote as it may seem) could happen.

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