"The Contender" is what New Yorker magazine calls "good, juicy fun," and what others have hailed as the best political thriller in years. It's even said Dreamworks may be looking for a little gold statuette with this one.
President Jackson Evans ( Jeff Bridges) has a problem. It's the end of his second term, and his vice-president has suddenly died in office. Worried about his political legacy, he nominates a liberal woman senator to take the job. So far, so good. But this is politics, and Washington politics, at that.
His nominee, Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), was elected as a Republican, but she switched parties, earning the hostility of moralizing Representative Shelly Runyon (Gary Oldman) R-Illinois. To make matters worse, Runyon is also a dedicated enemy of the president.
Runyon digs up some old dirt about Hanson's sexual behavior in her salad days in college and offers it up for political fodder. Hanson refuses to play his game and steadfastly clings to her principles.
The acting from all three stars is reputedly at least stellar. Oldman is in rare form as the canny old politico, and Bridges "pivots like a Baptist preacher in mid-sermon, runs his large hands through his hair, then lays those meat hooks on anyone who comes within 10 feet of him," according to "The New Yorker."
Allen is said to be up to her performance as Pat Nixon in Oliver Stone's "Nixon," where she won Best Supporting Actress. A former journalist and critic, director Rod Lurie is said to have written fine roles for his first-rate cast, which also included Christian Slater as an opportunistic, young congressman. "There isn't a dull scene in the movie," the New Yorker concluded. What more could you ask?
It is rated R for strong sexual content and language.
It starts Thursday at Market Square East.
