The Manchurian Candidate: Blu-ray Review (2008)

Jonathan Demme’s remake of John Frankenheimer’s jittery, 1962 cold-war classic about political brainwashing arrives on high-definition Blu-ray disc to slay the political process as well as corporate America, with big business viewed here as the real threat to our country, much in the same way that the communists were feared in the original film.



Gulf War vet Maj. Bennett Marco (Denzel Washington) discovers that during the war, he and other members of his platoon were implanted with computer chips that have brainwashed them into remembering events that never occurred.



Of chief concern to Marco is Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), the vice presidential candidate backed by a vicious, powerful mother played by Meryl Streep, and also controlled by Manchurian Global, a mysterious corporate giant that has, shall we say, special interests in making sure that Shaw gets into the White House.



As ever, Washington is so good, you almost take him for granted.  Same goes for Streep.  While the movie doesn’t match the raw, satirical power of the original, it nevertheless scores for being prescient, relevant and beautifully acted.



Rated R. Grade:  B+