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(About Our Ads) "THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE" (2004) (Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Heavy Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Extreme *None *Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Minor Mild Mild Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Drama: A Gulf War vet becomes increasingly conspiracy-minded when his and others' troubling dreams suggest that something mysterious happened to them back then that could affect the upcoming presidential election. PLOT: It's been more than 10 years since Army Major Ben Marco (DENZEL WASHINGTON) and his men fought in the Gulf War, but he's still troubled by a singular but repeating nightmare and vision -- featuring Dr. Atticus Noyle (SIMON MCBURNEY) -- that's led him to believe that something mysterious happened to his unit in Kuwait. When that suspicion is confirmed by Al Melvin (JEFFREY WRIGHT), another deeply troubled vet, Ben sets out to learn whether what they all seem to remember being true -- namely that fellow soldier Raymond Shaw (LIEV SCHREIBER) took command, saved their lives and become a war hero -- really is. He wants to meet Raymond, but unlike the major, Shaw is an up and coming political star. His mother, U.S. Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw (MERYL STREEP) has persuaded her party to have him, rather than senior Senator Thomas Jordan (JON VOIGHT), selected as the Vice-Presidential running mate for candidate Robert Arthur (TOM STECHSCHULTE). Raymond and Jordan go back a ways as Shaw once dated Jordan's daughter, Jocelyn (VERA FARMIGA), but the domineering Eleanor put an end to that. After a brief meeting with Shaw gets him nowhere, Ben suspicions grow as he believes there was a conspiracy to brainwash him and his men into thinking that Shaw's actions in Kuwait happened, when they really didn't. Of course, no one believes Ben and those protecting Raymond become increasingly worried that the major may become a liability, especially when the candidate is meeting with executives from defense contractor Manchurian Global. On his way to seek help from underground researcher Richard Delp (BRUNO GANZ) who may be able to answer his questions about mind control, Ben runs into grocery clerk Rosie (KIMBERLY ELISE) who takes an unusual interest in Ben and his predicament. With time racing toward the election and Raymond possibly becoming the next Vice-President, Ben worries that something greater than just a fabricated memory is at play and sets out to discover what that is. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens might be drawn to it, as might those who are fans of anyone in the cast, but it doesn't seem likely that other kids will be interested in it. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For violence and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DENZEL WASHINGTON plays an Army officer who becomes increasingly conspiracy minded when he learns that others in his former military unit have similarly troubling dreams just like him. He then sets out to find out what happened to them in the past and what's occurring now. He briefly uses some profanity. MERYL STREEP plays an ambitious U.S. senator who has grand plans for her son and will do whatever is needed to make sure they come true. She uses profanity, some of it briefly strong. LIEV SCHREIBER plays her son, a decorated war veteran who served under Ben and is now a Congressman who's been tapped as a Vice-Presidential candidate. He uses some profanity and becomes curious following Ben's repeated queries about what happened to them. JON VOIGHT plays a senior U.S. senator who isn't happy that Raymond has surpassed him in political possibilities. KIMBERLY ELISE plays a grocery clerk who turns out to be an undercover agent assigned to watch Ben. JEFFREY WRIGHT plays a Gulf War vet who's troubled by dreams that are similar to Ben's. BRUNO GANZ plays a rogue scientist who assists Ben in his quest for the truth and uses some profanity. SIMON MCBURNEY plays an underground scientist whose specialty is mind control. VERA FARMIGA plays Jordan's daughter who had a romantic past with Raymond when they were younger. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated suspense/drama. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word (although there may be more in a scene where the music mostly drowns out the dialogue), while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Violence consists of various murders (by gunfire, strangulation/suffocation and a person drowning two people), wartime violence and death, and other non-lethal struggling and one shooting. Some of those scenes and others may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers (including a drill into a skull/brain sequence) and/or have bloody results. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some characters smoke and others drink. There's also a brief mother son kiss that has incestuous tones to it, but nothing else sexual happens between them. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Various people have wine and cocktails at a reception. We see a glass of wine by Raymond. BLOOD/GORE We see a flashback to various disorienting visions. One shows a guy with what looks like a small bullet hole in his head (with some blood from that), another shows a woman holding a human brain and another man appears to have tubes coming from his head (with some blood around them). We see a disturbed man's drawings on a wall including that of a man with blood on his face and a character shooting another in the head with exaggerated blood coming out from there. We see other guns in these drawings. Ben imagines seeing a trickle of blood coming down from Rosie's forehead. After Ben thinks there's something under the skin on his back, he takes a knife and slices around an inch of skin. He then folds back the bloody flap of skin and retrieves a small metal object. Raymond has some of his own blood on his fingertips after he touches a new wound on his back. We see some photos of a dead man who has some blood around his eye and what looks like shriveled and/or partially decomposed skin on his hand and arm (he was found in the river). After an interrogator repeatedly badgers Ben about wanting to punch him, Ben does just that, bloodying the guy's nose. We see a flash image of a person with a bloody head, as well as Ben with a bandage around his that has some bloody spots on it. We see another flashback that shows two soldiers with blood on their heads/faces. We see a flashback to a soldier (under mind control of a scientist) being ordered to shoot one of his men in the head. He does and we see a bloody bullet hole in the man's head as he falls to the floor. A person is shot in the back with the bullet traveling through their body and hitting another person in the chest (they were standing close together), killing both of them, with bloody results (on their clothing -- and we see several shots of that blood). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Those responsible for covertly programming soldiers to kill (without their knowledge) and plotting an assassination obviously have extreme cases of both types of attitudes. Eleanor states that Sen. Jordan is emotionally challenged, just like Raymond's late father. Eleanor is an ambitious and domineering politician and mother who does whatever it takes to further her career as well as Raymond's. We hear that Eleanor is the one who ended Raymond's romance with Jocelyn in the past. Some viewers may not like a shot that briefly shows various monkeys and primates with probes on their heads, etc. (apparently for unknown research purposes). We hear that Atticus Noyle is a fugitive geneticist wanted for war crimes. Some feds cover up a murder and pin the blame on someone else. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. In addition, the overall film has a foreboding aura and atmosphere to it that might be unnerving to some viewers. Eleanor references a potentially looming terrorist attack on America. We see a flashback to various disorienting visions. One shows a guy with what looks like a small bullet hole in his head (with some blood from that), another shows a woman holding a human brain and another man appears to have tubes coming from his head (with some blood around them). A surgeon states that he's going to put a new implant into a man's brain and that he'll be drilling through his skull to do so. We then see him anesthetize the spot on the head and place a small guide tube there. He then takes a drill with a long bit, puts it inside the tube and then drills down into the man's head (the sound may be quite unnerving to some viewers -- there's no blood, but some skull dust appears to be what falls from the bit when it's removed from the tube). We then see a display showing the new implant being positioned inside the head (nothing gory, but the thought of what's occurring might be unsettling to some viewers). Ben imagines seeing a trickle of blood coming down from Rosie's forehead. He then imagines seeing his former tormentor standing behind him. After Ben thinks there's something under the skin on his back, he takes a knife and slices around an inch of skin. He then folds back the bloody flap of skin and retrieves a small metal object. We see a flashback to a soldier (under mind control of a scientist) being ordered to shoot one of his men in the head. He does and we see a bloody bullet hole in the man's head as he falls to the floor. Another is ordered to suffocate a fourth man (whose hands are tied to a chair) and he does so with his bare hands. All of this is done with no emotion on the part of the killers. A man wades into a large body of water, flips over a kayak with a man inside that and then holds him underwater until he drowns (we see the drowning). A man grabs a woman, thrusts her into a body of water and drowns her (we see the drowning). As an assassin readies his sniper rifle and then repeatedly peers through its scope (we see that point of view), some viewers may find the buildup to the shooting as tense/suspenseful. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine Guns/Sniper Rifle/Missile: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. We see a disturbed man's drawings on a wall including that of a man with blood on his face and a character shooting another in the head with exaggerated blood coming out from there. We see other guns in these drawings. In a flashback, we see cartoon guns being fired as projected on a screen. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "How f*cking dare you?" "Shovel the same old sh*t and call it sugar," "Wicked sh*t," "It's horsesh*t man," "You don't know your sh*t from your oatmeal," "Scary sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Dragging his ass," "Shut up," "Chaps my ass," "So G*ddamn proud of you," "Psycho," "Freaked out," "Idiots and nutters," "I could give a rat's ass" and "Damn fine man." Ben slaps himself in the face while trying to get a grip on reality. After Ben thinks there's something under the skin on his back, he takes a knife and slices around an inch of skin. He then folds back the bloody flap of skin and retrieves a small metal object. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Some songs had lyrics that we couldn't understand, thus offering the possibility of them potentially containing objectionable material. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 6 "s" words, 5 asses, 2 damns, 1 hell, 3 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "God," "Jesus," "My God," "Oh God" and "Oh my God." (Note: The opening scene may contain profanity, but the loud and overriding music played during it, along with poorly recorded dialogue -- purposeful or not -- prevented the noting of any such words, if any, said during it). SEX/NUDITY Ben showers, but the frosted door and a towel hanging on that block any explicit views of his body. Eleanor kisses Raymond on the lips in something of a motherly way, but then pauses there, as if there's something more, possibly incestuous in nature. SMOKING We see Ben with an unlit cigar in his mouth. Minor or miscellaneous characters smoke (once with a cigar) in several scenes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Raymond's father died back in 1984. We hear that Jocelyn is divorced. A woman sees her father be murdered but has little time to grieve. Raymond is aware but seems to accept that his mother dominates and controls his life. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT How Americans love conspiracies. Brainwashing or otherwise manipulating people. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Raymond comments on his domineering mother and states that he was twenty before he had a friend of his own not associated with his mother. The first Gulf War. Politics and politicians. Eleanor kisses Raymond on the lips in something of a motherly way, but then pauses there, as if there's something more, possibly incestuous in nature. VIOLENCE At night and somewhere in Kuwait, the enemy drives into the path of a U.S. military transport vehicle, causing it to become trapped. Enemy forces then open fire on that vehicle and another, with a missile (causing an explosion) and gunfire hitting them. As viewed through night-vision goggles (grainy and tinted green), we see one person be mowed down by machine gun fire, and then another just as he was about to fire a shoulder-launched missile. A person is knocked out, while Raymond fires at and hits a helicopter with machine gun fire. We hear that two of Ben's men were killed in the ambush. We see a flashback to various disorienting visions, one of which shows a man's suffocating another man using a bag over his head. He may also hit or stab that man during this. We see a disturbed man's drawings on a wall including that of a man with blood on his face and a character shooting another in the head with exaggerated blood coming out from there. We see other guns in these drawings. We see a flashback to a missile hitting a vehicle and exploding (from the above scene). Ben slaps himself in the face while trying to get a grip on reality. Trying to find if Raymond also has an implant in his back, Ben suddenly grabs and pins him to a table. He then yanks his shirt back, and when secret service agents race in, he bites Raymond on the back, breaking the skin. The agents then slam Ben against the wall and cuff him, while Raymond notes his bloody back. After an interrogator repeatedly badgers Ben about wanting to punch him, Ben does just that, bloodying the guy's nose. Delp place two large electroshock devices on either side of Ben's head (against his better judgment, but does so to comply with Ben's wishes) and then zaps him with current. We see Ben's body and arm contort from the electricity. We see a flashback to a soldier (under mind control of a scientist) being ordered to shoot one of his men in the head. He does and we see a bloody bullet hole in the man's head as he falls to the floor. Another is ordered to suffocate a fourth man (whose hands are tied to a chair) and he does so with his bare hands. All of this is done with no emotion on the part of the killers. A man wades into a large body of water, flips over a kayak with a man inside that and then holds him underwater until he drowns (we see the drowning). A man grabs a woman, thrusts her into a body of water and drowns her (we see the drowning). Ben awakens Rosie by grabbing her by the throat and trying to choke her, but she pulls a handgun on him and he backs away as she struggles to catch her breath. A person is shot in the back with the bullet traveling through their body and hitting another person in the chest (they were standing close together), killing both of them, with bloody results (on their clothing -- and we see several shots of that blood). An agent shoots a gunman in the shoulder as he lifts his gun to shoot himself (he doesn't get the chance). Reviewed July 16, 2004 / Posted July 30, 2004