The Manchurian Candidate

R

Released Jul 30, 2004

2 hr. 10 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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List

80%

210 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.

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Critics Consensus

While not the classic its predecessor is, this update is well-acted and conjures a chilling resonance.

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Tibor F

Enjoyed it very much.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

Bob W

One of the big movie disappointments of my life. I'm a fan of the original movie but also a fan of Jonathan Demme and I was hoping for a lively update of the blackly comic, chilling, fascinating original. Instead, author Richard Condon's comic is entirely gone and the movie fails to find a strong replacement for the Cold War paranoia that energized the original. Stick with the 1962 version or the excellent novel.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Rob D

A super entertaining movie with everybody involved in the conspiracy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/20/23

Full Review

John R

The plot is fuel for people who love conspiracy. I love the way the film somehow, while being a political thriller, leaves the political compass of the charaters ambiguous. The performances are phenomenal. Somehow everyone on screen steals the show even very minor characters nat to mention the main players. Never miss a chance to watch it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

Andrea C

Remake che non splende per spettacolarità e nemmeno per suscitare grandi emozioni. La tematica del complotto è ovviamente molto battuta, seppure la sceneggiatura è rimasta abbastanza intoccabile dopo il primo film degli anni '60. Denzel Washington è intenso e punto focale del racconto; mentre viene colpevolmente lasciato troppo in disparte il villain o presunto tale Liev Schreiber, potenzialmente il personaggio più interessante ed originale dell'intero racconto. Alcuni passaggi della trama sono molto complessi ed alquanto improbabili; altri invece sono piuttosto dozzinali e prevedibili.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

E

It makes us think and ask if the government is really for and by the people, or not. Unfortunately, there are and will always be manipulative people in power behind the scenes, as this film suggests.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/22

Full Review

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Jonathan Demme

Director

Denzel Washington

Army Major Ben Marco

Meryl Streep

Eleanor Prentiss Shaw

Liev Schreiber

Raymond Shaw

Jon Voight

Thomas Jordan

Kimberly Elise

Rosie

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The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Assassination

2:13

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - The Implant

2:13

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Decisions

1:22

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Father and Daughter

2:10

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Help Me or Shoot Me

2:01

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Dreams

2:13

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - A Big Bite of Shaw

1:23

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Private Eddie Ingram

1:22

The Manchurian Candidate: Official Clip - Interrogation

2:10

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Denzel Washington Coolest Lines Mashup

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The Manchurian Candidate: Trailer 1

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Will Self

London Evening Standard

Good as the players are, they can't make this hokum remotely believable.

Dec 21, 2017

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Sleek remake is more violent than original.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 28, 2010

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Jonathan Demme's new Manchurian Candidate is a gourmet-popcorn movie--a hugely entertaining thriller shot through with dark shards of agony and paranoia. It takes nothing away from the original while delivering pleasures all its own.

Jul 6, 2010

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

And yet the film as a whole fails to move deeply. One questions whether it will have a profound impact on its viewers.

Feb 15, 2021

Full Review

Norman Wilner

NOW Toronto

Demme's 2004 remake, which moved the action into the present day and cast Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber and Meryl Streep in the key roles...tweaked the ending just enough to make things feel even more hopeless.

Nov 10, 2020

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Disappointing remake of the classic 1962 thriller.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 18, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Executive Producer: Ilona Herzberg, Jonathan Demme
Screenwriter: Dean Georgaris, Richard Condon, George Axelrod, Daniel Pyne
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R (Violence|Some Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 30, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 17, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $65.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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