The Contender (2000)

Director:

Rod Lurie

Writer (WGA):

Rod Lurie (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.

Plot:

Sexy secrets from a womans past come to light as she runs for Vice President.

Plot Keywords:

President | Senator | Political Thriller | Political | Change Of Mind

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 18 nominations

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Shelly Runyon
Joan Allen	...	Laine Hanson
Jeff Bridges	...	President Jackson Evans
Christian Slater	...	Reginald Webster
Sam Elliott	...	Kermit Newman
William Petersen	...	Jack Hathaway
Saul Rubinek	...	Jerry Tolliver
Philip Baker Hall	...	Oscar Billings
Mike Binder	...	Lewis Hollis
Robin Thomas	...	William Hanson
Mariel Hemingway	...	Cynthia Charlton Lee
Kathryn Morris	...	Paige Willomina
Kristen Shaw	...	Fiona Hathaway
Douglas Urbanski	...	Makerowitz
Noah Fryrear	...	Timmy

Also Known As:

Rufmord - Jenseits der Moral (Germany)
La conspiración (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Candidata al poder (Spain) [es]
I antiproedros (Greece) [el]
Kandidaatti (Finland) [fi]
La Candidate (Canada: French title) [fr]
Manipulations (France) [fr]
Persona non grata (Romania) [ro]
Rufmord - Jenseits der Moral (Austria) [de]
U obranu casti (Croatia) [hr]
Ukryta prawda (Poland) [pl]
Zirve mücadelesi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #37565) | Iceland:L (theatrical rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

The regulations against jogging in Arlington Cemetery (see also Goofs) were well known to the filmmakers. But the scenes were still shot guerilla-style in the cemetery, and the filmmakers managed to avoid getting caught.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Timmy Hanson says "being the vice president is better than being the president...'cause nobody wants to shoot the vice president." That isn't quite true. In 1804 sitting vice president Aaron Burr infamously dueled against former secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton's shot missed Burr while Burr's shot mortally wounded Hamilton, who died the next day. Burr was later tried for murder but acquitted. However, the character who says this is about ten years old, and probably does not have such an extensive history knowledge.

Quotes:

Shelly Runyon: There's a reason they call me honest Shell.
President Jackson Evans: Irony, Shelly.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rated 'R': Republicans in Hollywood (2004) (TV)

Where Lewinsky meets Lebowski

This may not be the greatest White House movie thriller ever - as its makers claim - but it is probably the most politically explicit. Gone are the days of Advise and Consent, when the opposing parties were simply referred to as the "majority" and "minority", and the movie aimed at non-partisan neutrality . Here, the administration is Democrat, and the film proudly wears its liberal heart on its sleeve. And the movie is all the better for this clarity and honesty.

Jeff Bridges is well cast as Jackson Evans, a President every bit as charismatic and opportunistic as Bill Clinton. Indeed, the whole movie can be seen as a take on the Monica Lewinsky saga, highlighting the manipulation and hypocrisy displayed on all sides at that time. (One mistake in the script is a direct reference to the Clinton impeachment vote; it is dangerous for parodies or satires to refer to the true stories on which they are based - it leads to a dislocation in the audience's point of view, and in this case to the awkward question - if this is a post-Clinton Democrat President, and he's coming to the end of his second term, in just what year is the action supposed to be taking place?!)

Given the White House shenanigans in recent years, it is surprising that some IMDb commenters should question the plausibility of the plot, which I feel stretches our credulity no further than most Hollywood thrillers. Joan Allen as vice-Presidential nominee Laine Hanson, and Gary Oldman as Shelly Runyon, her would-be character assassin, have strong parts and make the most of them - though personally I think it is Bridges' movie - but there is perhaps a little too much of Christian Slater in a curious role as Reginald Webster, a young, liberal, but seemingly anti-feminist, Democrat Congressman. The director, Rod Lurie, seems unable to make up his mind whether Webster should be portrayed as an overly-naive idealist, or an ambitious cynic with his eye on the main chance.

Overall, this is a fast-moving, enjoyable film, making the points that petty personal indiscretions should have little influence when it comes to power politics, and that it's about time the USA had a woman as President or at least a heart beat away.