A film review by Mark O'Hara Copyright © 2000 Mark O'Hara

Rod Lurie’s THE CONTENDER is a solid enough political drama, but in this fall’s offerings of high-powered action and big-name-directed comedy, it’s likely to be forgotten fast.

Except at the Oscars.

If Joan Allen doesn’t get a nomination for her Senator Laine Hanson, and if Gary Oldman doesn’t actually carry home the Best Supporting Actor statuette for his cagey Congressman Sheldon Runyon – well, something’s rotten in Hollywood.

Much of THE CONTENDER is run-of-the-mill. Vice-president dies. Leading candidate for replacement is jilted in favor of female senator from Ohio. Ms. Hanson is a former Republican, and Democratic President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) realizes this as a plus: voters would reject someone too far to the left. The main complications come when decades-old photographs surface. They allegedly show Hanson as a college student, engaged in an orgy, as part of sorority initiation. Heck, the movie is not that original in the way in which Hanson reacts to these accusations. She refuses to deny them, in fact refuses even to dignify their existence by entering into any type of dialogue concerning them.

Ruthless Representative Shelly Runyon is clearly out to get Hanson. He has made clear that the President’s first choice, Governor Jack Hathaway (William L. Peterson), would glide through the congressional hearings that are giving Hanson so much grief.

What makes the film strong is not so much Allen’s excellent performance as the performances of those around her. Bridges is an old smoothie by now, his eyebrows taking on the bushiness of his father’s, and his manner taking on believable authority as he ages. Christian Slater stands out in the supporting role of a Democratic rookie who seeks the truth at whatever cost. Rough-looking Sam Elliot has dropped his dragoon’s mustache to play presidential advisor Kermit Newman. Certainly the cast goes a long way toward making the picture much better than average.

A few twists and turns take the rest of the responsibility. Although I was never “on the edge of my seat,” I watched raptly as several plot details made it hard to predict what would happen.

Most of all, Gary Oldman – also the executive producer of this outing – transforms himself into a political Svengali of ambition. I was unaware of Oldman’s involvement in the movie; it was not until I spotted his name – preceding Allen’s in the closing credits – that I realized it was he. This balding and unattractive Washington insider looks very different from the Russian terrorist in AIR FORCE ONE or from Beethoven in IMMORTAL BELOVED. Oldman’s acting here makes me believe it’s his character who causes the story to hang together, in spite of the blatant agendas the film preaches – namely surrounding women’s rights to serve in high political office, and women’s right to choose abortions. (It’s a small but unfortunate thing, too, that Runyon is given character traits that stereotype him as Jewish.)

Though Lurie causes the movie to go on a bit too long, at two hours and 20 minutes, he does keep our attention to the end. The target audience may be limited for this subject matter, but intelligence and fine acting make this a must-see for serious movie-goers unafraid to sit there in the dark and think.

	Running Time: 126 Min | Rated: R | US Release: Oct 13th | More >>

Related Links:

• Official Site
• Upcomingmovies.com: The Contender
• DreamWorks SKG Fansite-The Contender

Sometimes you can assassinate a leader withhout firing a shot.