Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Verdict: Whether or not this is superior to the 1962 original is a matter of debate. But what is inarguable is that this Gulf War-era thriller proves it's worthy of its existence. Some plot holes require suspension of disbelief, but you won't need any such mental gymnastics to enjoy Denzel's performance as Major Bennett Marco. It's excellent, and I found Meryl Streep's performance as Senator Shaw to be even more impressive. This is a must-watch for them alone.
Where to watch: Buy or rent "The Manchurian Candidate" (2004) from Amazon now
With "The Manchurian Candidate" (2004), we're arguably approaching the end of an era in the Denzel Watchathon. While most of the movies from here on out are some level of quality — we've left movies like "Carbon Copy" and "Heart Condition" far behind at this point — this psychological thriller is the end of a pretty incredible run.
Sure, "Inside Man" is coming next week, and "American Gangster" two weeks after that. But we just went on a run that included "Remember the Titans," "Training Day" and "Man on Fire." 2000-2004 might be the best four-year stretch of Denzel's career, and "The Manchurian Candidate" is the final movie of that stretch before he takes 2005 off from the box office for the first time since 1997.
Thankfully, this is a pretty good movie to close a chapter on. It's not a masterpiece; there are flaws in the plot, and arguably this movie ends about a third of the way through it in the real world. Denzel's Major Bennett Marco almost certainly would have been institutionalized by the Army once he started going after Vice Presidential candidate Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber). The Army tries to institutionalize him later in the movie for just that reason, proving that point.
If you set aside issues like that, though, you're left with a handful of noteworthy performances. Jeffrey Wright, Scheiber and (of course) Denzel all impress. But the clear star of the movie is Meryl Streep as Raymond's mother, Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw.
If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have some good news and some bad news. "Man on Fire" isn't currently streaming on any of the best streaming services or the best live TV streaming services. Instead, you'll need to buy or rent it from digital storefronts like Amazon.
Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom's Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don't have to watch the bad ones.
Streep steals the show from Denzel
In the 1962 original "The Manchurian Candidate," Shaw and Marco are captured by communist soldiers in the Korean War. They're brainwashed; Shaw is given a Medal of Honor, and the incident is used by his mother, Eleanor, to boost the status of her husband, Senator Iselin, forcing him onto the presidential ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee.
This 2004 remake is similar in a lot of ways. But there are two major changes. First, instead of fighting in the Korean War and being taken to literal Manchuria, Shaw and Marco are fighting in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War of 1991. They're captured by a multinational private equity corporation named Manchurian Global, rather than the Chinese. Second, Shaw is the one who becomes the Vice Presidential nominee, rather than his father, who is deceased in this version.
Here are the other Denzel Washington movies I've covered so far in our Denzel Watchathon:
- "Carbon Copy" (1981)
- "A Soldier's Story" (1984)
- "Power" (1986)
- "Cry Freedom" (1987)
- "For Queen and Country" (1988)
- "The Mighty Quinn" (1989)
- "Glory" (1989)
- "Heart Condition" (1990)
- "Mo' Better Blues" (1990)
- "Mississippi Masala" (1991)
- "Ricochet" (1992)
- "Malcolm X" (1992)
- "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993)
- "The Pelican Brief" (1993)
- "Philadelphia" (1993)
- "Crimson Tide" (1995)
- "Virtuosity" (1995)
- "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995)
- "Courage Under Fire" (1996)
- "The Preacher's Wife" (1996)
- "Fallen" (1998)
- "He Got Game" (1998)
- "The Siege" (1998)
- "The Bone Collector" (1999)
- "The Hurricane" (1999)
- "Remember the Titans" (2000)
- "Training Day" (2001)
- "John Q" (2002)
- "Antwone Fisher" (2002)
- "Out of Time" (2003)
- "Man on Fire" (2004)
But the end goal is the same. Shaw's mother, Eleanor, is working with the bad guys to brainwash her son so that she can elevate a family member to the Presidency.
This makes her quite evil. And Streep knows it. And she revels in it. Don't get me wrong, Denzel is as good as Marco. He does the proper amount of unraveling in the movie's first act, and then propels the film forward once he becomes a man on a mission. Schreiber is also good as Shaw. He's not quite on Denzel's level, but the character, Shaw, isn't given as much to work with as Marco.
If anyone comes close to taking the crown from Streep, it's Wright. He's only in one scene, but it's an intense one, as he recounts to Marco the dreams he's been having of their captivity during the war. The same dreams, it's later revealed, that Marco and Shaw are both having as well.
Streep chews the scenery in this movie. She fully sinks into the role of a strongwoman Senator, which is partially a nod to Hillary Clinton, a U.S. Senator at the time "The Manchurian Candidate" was being filmed.
At times she's egomaniacal. She's convinced that she alone can save America. She's not doing this to get her son into the White House. She's doing this to prevent the people in the NSA's security reports from harming Americans abroad and at home.
At other times, she's clearly a mother trying to build a life for her son. Every powerhungry movie designed to move him up a political ladder that, frankly, Shaw doesn't seem to have much interest in climbing.
Ultimately, she's still evil, though. She still conspired with a private corporation to turn her son into a brainwashed assassin. Then, in a fit of rage and panic, she unleashes said son on two people, ending their lives without a second thought. It's a delightful performance to watch, even if it is a bit terrifying.
Verdict: It's irrelevant if 'The Manchurian Candidate' is better than the 1962 original — it's still a must-watch
The 1962 original version of "The Manchurian Candidate" is often considered the better one. That's not to say this remake was considered bad; it was positively reviewed at the time and Streep even earned a Golden Globe nomination. But her counterpart in the 1962 version, the great Angela Lansbury, earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Eleanor. She also won the Golden Globe, for what that's worth.
But you don't need to decide for yourself which version is better. You don't even need to watch the original (though you should check it out). This movie, better or worse, stands on its own as a movie worth seeing. It's also an iconic Denzel movie where he gets out-acted, and that's a rare feat worth checking out in its own right.
Buy or rent "The Manchurian Candidate" (2004) from Amazon now
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