I just don’t get the big thing Hollywood has about remakes, re-imaginings or whatever the ‘term du jour’ is these days. The first mistake they make is to take a really great movie and try to make it better (or at least re-capture what made it so great). These new versions rarely succeed, and if they do, it might only be by winning over those who are unfamiliar with whatever the original work might be. Show them to an audience who is familiar with the original work, and try winning them over. Where those uncreative enough to come up with their own stories should turn their attention to older movies that were not so popular, or bad movies they really can improve upon. A good example of this would be the remake of “The Italian Job”, which served to improve upon a little seen older film.

That said, there are those few remakes that are actually really great movies in their own right, but are held back by latching on to the title of its predecessor. The more recent of these would be “Dawn of the Dead”, and on the other end of the genre spectrum, “The Manchurian Candidate.” In the case of both of those films, the remakes were more inspired by the original materials, with changes having been made to update them a little. If the writers had it in them to do that, they certainly could have written totally new plots utilizing stories of zombies or mind-altering conspiracies, whichever the case may be.

Since this particular review is about the new version of “The Manchurian Candidate”, I’ll focus my comments down a bit to the subject matter at hand. The original “Manchurian Candidate”, is a terrific movie, made during the time of the Cold War. The conspiracy, for the time it was presented, was a somewhat believable one. The problem is, the new “Manchurian Candidate” is also a terrific movie, but it is impossible not to compare. And comparison is the only thing that hurts the new one. Standing side by side, it simply doesn’t live up to the expectations the original creates.

However, if you completely disassociate it from the original (which I’ve had to do with a couple of other movies over the past two weeks), “The Manchurian Candidate” is an exciting suspense thriller. Director Jonathon Demme delivers a complex story of mind-manipulation, as well as corporate manipulation of the government (which may be fictionalized here, but exists in other forms in today’s political arena… I mean really, George Bush, Jr… twice? There’s no way that wasn’t somehow engineered by Halliburton…but I digress).

Denzel Washington, who was on a bit of a downhill run for a while, is back in great form as Major Ben Marco, who believes his memories may not be real. While on a patrol in Kuwait years earlier, he and his men wind up missing for several days. When they show back up, minus a couple of men, everyone hears how it is due to the bravery and fortitude of Sgt. Raymond Shaw (Live Schreiber). Shaw is given the Medal of Honor for his actions, and later due to the machinations of his Senator mother (Meryl Steep), becomes a Congressman. It is her plan, no matter the cost, that he become vice-president and eventually end up in the Oval Office. The trouble is that the events that started his uphill climb may not have been totally as they seem, and Marco’s memories might hold the key to the truth.

The new DVD for new “The Manchurian Candidate” has a handful of extra features, including a commentary by Demme and co-writer Daniel Pyne. Each offers their own perspective of the film, with Demme offering more technical info while Pyne gets more into the story. There is also a short featurette focusing on the making of the film, followed by another where Demme and his main cast talk extensively about their character’s motivations. You’ll also find five deleted scenes with optional commentary, a few outtakes, and a screen test for Schreiber. The final feature is a rather unusual one. In it we hear from the likes of Roy Blount, Jr., Beau Sia, Fab 5 Freddy, anna Deveare Smith, Reno, and Sidney Lumet as they talk about the current state of affairs.

“The Manchurian Candidate” (version 2004) is a first-rate thriller, more than worth your time to watch.

Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber
Extras: Commentary by Director Jonathan Demme and Screenplay Co-writer Daniel Pyne, 2 Featurettes, 5 Deleted/Extended Scenes, 2 Outtakes, Liev Schreiber Screen Test, Political Pundits with Director Commentary
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: 12/21/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (for Violence and Some Language)
Website

We'll give The Manchurian Candidate - 2004 an A.