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Click above to purchase "The Contender" at amazon.com
The Contender
review by Zach B.
Rated R
Studio: Dreamworks
Running Time: 127 minutes
Starring Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Gary Oldman,
Christian Slater, William Petersen, Philip Baker Hall, Saul
Rubinek and Sam Elliott
Written and Directed by Rod Lurie
Retail Price: $26.99
Features: Commentary with Writer/Director Rod Lurie
and Joan Allen, Deleted Scenes, "The Making Of A Political
Thriller" Featurette, Production Notes, Cast and Crew Bios,
Theatrical Trailer
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English DTS 5.1, English Dolby 2.0 Surround,
English Subtitles, Chapter Search (20 Chapters)
It seems like ages ago when I lived in Los Angeles, but
it's pretty amazing what's happened to Rod Lurie over the
past six years. When I lived in Los Angeles I used to listen
to his KABC movie radio show all the time. Which is why I
was so surprised many months ago to see his name as writier
and director on the small Paramount movie "Deterrence".
While the movie had a limited release, it did score pretty
well with critics. It seemed my favorite radio critic came a
long way, and I was actually pretty excited to see where
he'd go from there. I was happy for him because I did
recognize him and what not. In the Fall of 2000, Dreamworks
released "The Contender". While I did miss it in theaters, I
was really anticipating the video release.
It's been three weeks since the Vice President died, and
President Jackson Evans (a brilliant Jeff Bridges) is out to
replace him. To the shock and disappointment of some, Evans
chooses Laine Hanson (a powerful Joan Allen) as a candidate,
overpassing Jack Hathaway (William Peterson). Many
connections to Hathaway are not happy about Hanson's
nomination, so they attempt to dig up the worst things about
her and give her hell during her confirmation hearing.
What really impressed me about "The Contender" is just
how good the acting, writing and directing is. It really,
really all comes together. This movie is a perfect example
of how great a movie can be if you do so much right. Sure,
some movies have good directing and acting that make up for
a semi-decent script, and you can switch the three around as
you please, but as you know when they all are great, you
just know it is and it's a real pleasure to watch. Compared
to how many crappy movies come in and out of theaters, it's
just really nice to see a real, quality movie that is really
well rounded, really well paced and really well acted. I'm
sure a lot of you can agree with me on this.
Lurie, a former movie critic as I mentioned, really knows
his stuff when it comes to politics. The production notes go
into how much he's really into it, and his writing and
directing skills in this movie are really strong. Lurie
creates a wide array of characters that are all over the
place. From honest to downright sneaky, the characters have
a sense of charm to them and you can really believe that
these people exist, in fact, it's pretty likely we have
people in office that Lurie portrays in the film. Lurie also
gives them some sense of mystery, as we think we know
someone, it turns out we really don't. He keeps us guessing
to the very end. The characters have a lot of depth and are
three dimensional, and with the directing, Lurie creates an
atmosphere that really sucks and draws you in from start to
finish. You feel like you're there watching it all unfold
before your eyes.
The acting is phenomenal. Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges
have already been rewarded with awards and nominations
(including Oscar® nods for each), but I felt Gary Oldman
stole the show as Shelly Runyon. It's really hard to believe
that's Gary Oldman, but it is. He has such incredible and
wonderful range as an actor, he's like a chameleon. He can
fit himself into any role he chooses to play. I felt Oldman
had more of a crucical part in "The Contender" than Bridges.
While Bridges is charismatic, Oldman's role is a lot bigger
and stronger, and I feel out of the two, he deserved the
nod. All of the actors have great chemistry and play really
well off one another. Also, I heard there was some tension
between Oldman and Lurie. Oldman is credited as an executive
producer, but I read somewhere that he felt "betrayed" by
Lurie with some of the film's editing and how some of the
content was portrayed (Some of this is discussed toward the
end of the commentary, actually. Oldman also gets top
billing, but some of you can recall that he was rather
peeved by not getting a top billing on "Hannibal"). Oh well.
The supporting cast is also excellent (Why this movie wasn't
nominated for Best Ensemble Cast at the SAG Awards is beyond
me).
"The Contender" really gripped from the start to finish.
I just got more and more into it as it went along. Still,
the movie also makes some excellent points today about
America, the government, privacy, society and people in
general. What is the public's business? Why do people stop
at nothing to ruin others? Why are we so intrigued to hear
about people's pasts, especially those who are filled with
scandal? I personally believe everyone has the right to his
or her privacy, and some matters should be kept strictly to
themselves. Lurie really hits the mark with all these themes
and points, and they are well discussed and shown
thrroughout the film.
"The Contender" is one of the best movies I've seen in a
very long time, and Dreamworks has created an outstanding
DVD release for an outstanding film that I think everyone
should see. Simply put, "The Contender" is a modern day
political masterpiece.
Dreamworks delivers another fantastic transfer,
definently one of their best. "The Contender" looks
excellent in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with really,
really bold colors that are also well saturated. Black level
and detail in general is excellent, but now and then there
is some debris or grain. Some very, very slight shimmer is
noticeable in some areas. Still, this is a fantastic
transfer.
"The Contender" features Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 mixes,
like many Dreamworks releases these days. For a film that is
dialogue heavy, it's surprisingly how good they actually
are. You feel the tension building around you, slowly and
carefully. Believe it or not, this is the first disc in a
while where I actually prefered the Dolby Digital over the
DTS. While DTS seems to be a bit more contained and features
more enclosed surrounds, the Dolby Digital is a bit louder
and at times, a little more active. Still, each mix is
really close and really great. Dialogue is clear and easy to
hear, and the beautiful score from Larry Groupé
sounds fantastic. A Dolby Surround mix in English is also
included, as well as English subtitles.
Dreamworks has provided a very nice package for "The
Contender". While it's not filled to the brim with extras,
it has a very good amount and very good ones in fact,
showing that you don't need tons and tons of supplements to
make an excellent and worthwhile package.
First off is a Commentary With Rod Lurie and Joan
Allen. Simply put, this is one of the best commentaries
I've listened to. It's really everything a commentary should
be. It's not boring, it's not dull and it really gets to the
point. Lurie and Allen are very enthusiastic about the film
telling some interesting behind the scenes stories. There's
no pauses or long breaks, this is a very good commentary. It
even has some fun moments, like a small discussion on
"Scooby Doo". I was very interested in what Allen had to say
about the movie and her character, but I was really excited
to here Lurie, because I wanted to know about his interests,
his ideas, his thoughts on the movie, his inspirations and
feelings on many political manners and the American
government too. I can't stop raving about this track, it's a
required listen.
On The Cutting Room Floor presents ten scenes that
were cut from the movie, with optional commentary from
Lurie. Lurie gives his reasons and thoughts on the scenes.
Some were short and pointless, but others could have fit
rather nicely into the film. It's a shame though that they
are only in 2.0 sound and non-anamorphic. If Dreamworks
presents their trailers with anamorphic enhancment and 5.1
sound, why can't they do the same with cut scenes? Be sure
to give these a watch.
The Making Of A Political Thriller runs twenty-two
minutes and is a very nice featurette. Interviews with
Lurie, most of the cast and clips are shown, but there's
also some things on old political movies. This was a very
nice watch that's a nice supplement to the film.
Rounding off the disc are some Production Notes
(which are also in the keep case insert), nicely written and
detailed Cast and Crew Bios, and the Theatrical
Trailer in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby
Digital.
A really gripping and well developed political thriller,
I'm surprised Rod Lurie became a filmmaker instead of a
politician (but there's no denying his love for the cinema).
Dreamworks has created a terrific DVD for "The Contender".
Fantastic video, audio and features, this is one disc that's
highly worth every cent, and it's a great movie about
people's motivations and principles too. I'm looking foward
to Lurie's next films... "The Contender" is a movie that
should be in your collection whether you like political
dramas or not, for what it conveys is very important.
 (4.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
(4.5/5)
 (4/5)
 (3/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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