The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers (WGA):

Richard Condon (novel)
George Axelrod (1962 screenplay)

Release Date:

30 julio 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller | War

Frase comercial:

This summer everything is under control.

Plot:

In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.

Plot Keywords:

Shot In The Chest | Sniper | Brainwashed Assassin | Shot In The Back | Political Campaign

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Less powerful, less edgy, and less intelligent than the original.

Cast

Jeffrey Wright	...	Al Melvin
Pablo Schreiber	...	Eddie Ingram
Anthony Mackie	...	Robert Baker
Dorian Missick	...	Owens
Jose Pablo Cantillo	...	Villalobos
Teddy Dunn	...	Wilson
Joaquin Perez-Campbell	...	Atkins
Tim Artz	...	Jameson
Denzel Washington	...	Ben Marco
Robyn Hitchcock	...	Laurent Tokar
Liev Schreiber	...	Raymond Shaw
Antoine Taylor	...	Boy Scout #1
Joseph Alessi	...	Boy Scout #2
Raymond Anthony Thomas	...	Scout Dad (as Ray Anthony Thomas)
Bill Irwin	...	Scoutmaster

También conocida como:

Embajador del miedo, El (Argentina) [es]
Mensajero del miedo, El (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Duración:

USA:129 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Clasificación:

Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:U (cut) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40839) | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivialidades:

One of Major Marco's evaluation papers is clearly dated "2008".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the candidate's victory speech, Marco's rifle is poked through the grill/grate in the balcony. At the angle shown for the gun, the scope's view would have been obstructed by the grill/grate. However when he is shown looking through the scope, he has a "clear" unobstructed view.

Quotes:

Senator Thomas Jordan: And you bring me rumors and conjecture.
Ben Marco: I started with nightmares. Rumors, conjectures, that's a giant leap forward.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Invaders of the Heart Mix 2

Less powerful, less edgy, and less intelligent than the original.

Three months ago I watched the original Manchurian Candidate on DVD. I was amazed on how good this movie is, and how well it holds up after 42 years of its release in movie theaters.

So, yesterday when I watched the 2004 version directed by Jonathan Demme it was impossible for me not to compare the two films.

Without the existence of the original, Demme's effort could be defined as a good (not outstanding) political thriller and it's easy to think that this definition is compatible with the general opinion of today's audiences.

But (a big but) in reality there is an original, and it is so good, so brave, and so well written that this new version almost feels pointless.

In adapting the story to modern day Jonathan Demme made more wrong choices than good ones diminishing the power and intensity of the original.

This remake took out some key dramatic elements that work marvelously in the original film inserting some new and poorly written plot twists changing and damaging the dramatic resolution.

This version is inferior in almost every level (the only exception is the acting). It is less powerful, less edgy, and less intelligent.

Fortunately for Demme the original picture is not as well known as classics like 'Casablanca' and this will allow his film to find a moderate positive acceptance.