Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17384 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-07-24
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1

Synopsis
Michael Ritchie once again shows his impressive ability to tackle new genres, after DOWNHILL RACER and PRIME CUT, with THE CANDIDATE, a scathing depiction of the hypocrisy and complexity in the American political world. Bill McKay (Robert Redford), an idealistic young lawyer and son of a famous governor, is pressured into running for the United States Senate against the popular incumbent, with the assurance that he will lose and not have to give up his integrity or ideals. However, as the campaign deepens, he finds himself giving in, allowing himself to be manipulated as the polls slowly change and swing in his favour. Soon his backers decide that they want him to win after all. By the time Election Day arrives, McKay has become the person that he used to speak so vehemently against. Working from an Oscar-winning script by former Eugene McCarthy speechwriter Jeremy Larner, Ritchie films THE CANDIDATE with a heavy dose of semi-documentary realism that makes for an emotionally impacting experience.

Customer Reviews

A Candidate for a look in
Political movies can come across as overly stuffy. That said having watched Charlie Wilson's war and now this lately on TCM I'm beginning to take a liking to the genre. Part satire, part drama Robert Redford once again doesn't dissappoint in a brilliantly written movie. An oscar winning screenplay for a previous scriptwriter of a senator no less, the film offers a insiders view of contemporary politics and the nature of the beast.

Now I've read alot of reviews which say the overall message and tone for the movie is cyncical but I seem like the only one anywhere who took a positive message from the movie.

Long story short, Billy McCay is a passionate environmentalist lawyer who becomes railroaded into campaigning for a senatorial seat against a stuffy, almost stereotypical republican douche. During the campaign his values become compromised into oblivion and cheap slogans...

I don't want to ruin the story but am I wrong in saying the whole point in being elected to represent the people always carries an inheent risk of compromising your values? McCay's character comes across as more tired from campaigning than cynical and a father son reuniting on the political trail was heartwarming.

I don't know how you will interepret the movie but I enjoyed it immensely. Its like a train that gets faster and faster and Redford carries everyone through to a fine result. 9/10

One of the great movies - but wrong aspect ratio
The Candidate was and remains one of the great movies about politics and has one of the two best last lines in movie history (the other being Some Like It Hot's "Nobody's perfect.")

But this DVD is 4:3 aspect ratio and the original film was 1:85:1. Hold out for the right format.

wg

In Politics We Trust.
The Candidate with Robert Redford concerns itself with the basis on which the American masses looks to their political candidates. It does this through the lawyer Bill McKay (Robert Redford), who is asked to run for US Senate for California running. A hopeless candidate who runs against an experienced oldtimer, only to find that that situation allows him to do things his way and not the "good ol' fashioned way". Along the way he is faced with the typical battle between victory vs. conscience.

The Candidate is an entertaining, funny, witty and clever film with a strong performance by the young Robert Redford. If you like hard hitting comments on todays society than this little gem is definitely for you.

Enjoy.