Manchurian Candidate fizzles out like an Alka-Seltzer releasing its last carbonated bubble -- we never even make it to the middle of our seat, let alone the edge.
Comment
08/06/04
Rate this Movie 
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
82
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:195
Fresh:159
Rotten:36
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: While not the classic its predecessor is, this update is well-acted and conjures a chilling resonance.
Theatrical Release:Jul 30, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $65,898,487
Synopsis: Jonathan Demme updates the original 1962 John Frankenheimer classic with plenty of new paranoid twists: This time a sinister Halliburton-style corporation is behind the brainwashing of a Gulf War... [More]
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Jon Voight
Director: Jonathan Demme
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for The Manchurian Candidate
This film may hold the honor of being the most paranoid piece of cinema ever made.
08/06/04
Viewers may feel as if they're watching a dramatization of 'Fahrenheit 9/11' ...
08/05/04
... if you’re reading this now, you can resist your brainwash programming for weak thrillers and go see The Bourne Supremacy instead.
08/05/04
[Has moments of] delirious political comedy, and it functions as a thriller, too.
08/04/04
...coldly gripping, if not down right scary.
08/04/04
"The Manchurian Candidate" is a taut, timely thriller.
08/04/04
I'm not sure Demme's quite justified the idea of a remake on a thematic basis, but he has made a fine thriller.
08/04/04
A remake was wholly unnecessary, especially when it’s as sloppy and inefficient a thriller as this one turned out to be.
08/04/04
Demme's version is assured and stylized; if anything, it also lends support to this American story's bid for timelessness.
08/04/04
Just when you think Demme lost it, a brilliant moment of phototography, lighting, or acting appears
08/04/04
Click to read the article
08/04/04
A remake of the original Cold War version of this film has hit the big screen.
08/03/04
Film delivers brainy performances through a script that is tense and unsettling.
08/03/04
Following a dozen years of docs, light comedy, and p.c. weepies, Candidate represents Demme's best dramatic filmmaking since The Silence of the Lambs.
08/03/04
Top CriticThe only actor who outshines his predecessor is Schreiber, a criminally underrated actor who thoroughly sells both Raymond’s public allure and private confusion.
08/03/04
The first version was acidulous and brazenly absurd; this one is doggedly, wretchedly earnest.
08/03/04
Top CriticDemme here shows off both the mastery of suspense that made The Silence of the Lambs a classic, and the humane understanding and appreciation of character that not just deepens but energizes this film.
08/03/04
What is surprising is how fresh Demme's version is and how close it approaches the original in terms of quality.
08/03/04
[A] wild ride that never, never commits the crime of being dull.
08/02/04
Top CriticLatest News for The Manchurian Candidate
November 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Halls" Spreads Little Cheer; "Déjà Vu" Intrigues; "The Fountain" Overflows; "Pick" Is Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got holiday mischief ("Deck the Halls," starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito), a phenomenon known as déjà vu ("Déjà... More...
June 29, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Superman" And "Devil" Are Certified Fresh
This week's wide releases both involve publishing. In "The Devil Wears Prada," the setting is a fashion magazine, and in "Superman Returns," it's The Daily... More...
March 23, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Inside Man" is Certified Fresh, Second Best-Reviewed Wide Release Of
Tension: it's the key to many a film, and this week's wide releases bring three variants on that theme. We've got a hostage situation ("Inside Man"), class conflict... More...
August 15, 2005:
Splinter Cell to Operate at a New Studio
Back in December 2004 it was announced that Peter Berg would be helming the videogame adaptation "Splinter Cell" for Paramount Pictures, but since that time we haven't... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
The New Cult Canon
AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.
New Moon Portraits
TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.
Unsexiest Men Alive
Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds