THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962) ..Why don't you pass the time with a game of solitaire?

                      To start with  I find this movie terribly overrated. I have to still recommend that you see it for the cultural relevance but don't expect a fast paced thrill ride because this one is a slow burn, with what in my opinion was a very much predictable ending. Don't however let that stop you. See this movie. Graphically interesting the film has a stylish look.

                      The minor flaws of this movie really do an injustice to the biting nature of the political commentary. I felt some of the acting was truly dreadful with Laurence Harvey's accent switching depending on the scene to seean was Annoying. Also, I understand it's a thriller and there are a lot of stressful situations but would people really sweat constantly? I suppose AC wasn't as widespread. I got the vibe that the set of this film must have smelled like someone's dirty gym locker . The amount of mustache twisting that went into the evil scientists plan was a caricature in itself and was I suppose, a symptom of the hysteria in that age. NO way would someone we are supposed to believe is a mastermind and is that intelligent would act like such a gloating jerk. At least don't expect me to take it seriously. I'm being a bit harsh and I realize a certain amount of disbelief suspension is needed but would the communists really underestimate their ring leader that much? I guess it's neither here nor there but at this point I could care less.

                         John Frankenheimer does inject some needed amount of masculinity into this film. The karate scene with the Korean operative however, made me laugh . While the scene was laughable it did mark the point where the film starts to turn and pick up speed. The film gets more taught after the initial groundwork is laid and if the directors had found a better way to edit the whole filim  I might have been even more into the film.


MX