Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington) is a Gulf War veteran who has some doubts about what happened to him during an ambush when the platoon is saved by former-Sergeant-turned-politician Raymond Shaw (Live Shreiber). 

His suspicions are confirmed when another member of his command confronts him about how his bad dreams about being experimented on may have been real, something that Marco fears may have happened to him as well.  Whilst Shaw’s mother (Meryl Streep), a politician herself with very strong ambitions for her son is prepared to stop at nothing to see a reluctant Raymond step into the Vice President hot seat.

Demme slowly lets the film gather momentum, drawing strong performances from Washington and particularly Shreiber who gives a career-best star-turn as the war hero who, despite his status and wealth, wants to stand for the common man.  Some parts of the script are predictable, but that doesn’t detract from what is essentially a great political thriller.
(4/5)

Release Date: 04 April 2005

The Manchurian Candidate