The Manchurian Candidate

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2:24

The Manchurian Candidate

R

Released Jul 30, 2004

2h 10m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

209 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

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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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

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…In 2004, it seemed like a vanilla cop-out for Demme’s updated thriller not to pick political sides, not putting blame on right or left, but on the oligarchical monied elite, but in retrospect, his Manchurian Candidate was on the money….

Rated: 4/5

Mar 8, 2025

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

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AnActor E

Motion picture, as an art form, can be flawless. It becomes flawless if performance, script, plot, set and prop design, cinematography and audio coalesce under proper directing and editing. It happens more often than you think. Many horror films are praiseworthy, but The Manchurian Candidate takes the cake. As an adaptation, this film manages to modernize its tale while remaining true to the essence of the original novel. The plot is truly nightmarish, and so entirely plausible, that the idea haunts me, even as I watch our politicians flex power day after day. As a political thriller, “The Manchurian Candidate” is more than just possible; it’s believable, and that’s what makes it so frightening. Make no mistake: with corporate power, greed and abuse at an all-time high worldwide, this film’s premise is a reality we are quickly crossing into.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

Full Review

Aleksandar D

I watched this several times, but can't really get behind the story or the pace of the movie. It feels like a drag throughout.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

Derek D

I enjoyed it, and that’s why I rate it well. Some people have super deep and technical reasons to “not like” a movie-but if you like military/Intellence style movies with a dystopian feel- then you’ll likely like this. Loved the cast too.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

Dane B. M

Pale imitation of the original. Demme goes all out in the violence, something the original was thankfully lacking. The actors do their jobs.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

Full Review

Ari V

Solid and likely all too realistic. Minus the obligatory bad-appleisms.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

Full Review

David H

I'm not sure why we have an obsession with remakes in this country. Even films and series that were originally in English get remade as if to ensure that no American in this decade has to endure dealing with a plot that takes place outside of this decade. *** *** That said, this was a pretty good film. I prefer the original 1962 version, but this one was interesting to watch just to see what they would change.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/13/24

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

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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The Manchurian Candidate: Trailer 1

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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
Producer: Scott Rudin, Tina Sinatra, Jonathan Demme, Ilona Herzberg
Screenwriter: Daniel Pyne, Dean Georgaris, George Axelrod, Richard Condon
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Clinica Estetico
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
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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