Genre: Drama
Related Titles: Front-Runner,
By Leanne Harragan
George W Bush picks Dick Cheney to be his running mate in the 2000 elections. Cheney's experience is broad. including his time as Chief of staff in the White House and holding the titles of Defence Secretary. When Bush narrowly wins, Cheney uses his new power to reshape the country.
Dick Chaney is calculated and clever, showing that the quietest people can be the cleverest, the quote used in the film 'beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watched. And while others act, he plan. And when they finally rest...he strikes' is incredibly apt with Chaney. Just when it seemed his political career was done, he returned as VP to George W. Bush but for Chaney this was so much more than a ‘title’ like it (apparently) is, he turned a deal to be head of the ‘boring’ things like foreign affairs and many more things. This was how he became one of the lowest approval rated when the Bush administration left office.
A trans-formative performance from Christian Bale, he really becomes Dick Chaney, he really shines alongside co-stars Steve Carrell, Amy Adams and Sam Rockwell who are all fantastic too. Rockwell plays George W Bush well, a scene that sticks out for me is when he is trying to convince Chaney to take the VP role and walks hook, line and sinker into Cheney’s proposition for more power. It was a moment that really showed that actually he had no idea just how calculated Cheney could be. Amy Adams was a delight as usual (if you haven’t checked out Arrival you are missing out!) Playing Lynne Chaney, Adams was a tough wife and mother from the get-go, teaching her girls about politics and power from a young age. She showed just how much she wanted power when she continued canvassing for her husband when he was incapacitated and in one speech definitely set the women's movement back a step, believing the only way to get power was to be a man. Performances in this film can’t be faulted and I can see why Bale has already got a BAFTA under his belt for this role.
Interestingly, politics seem to be a big a subject in the cinema this year with The Front Runner also looking into American politics. Vice really shows the absolute ridiculousness of American politics, the amount that these men in positions of power got away with is unbelievable. This is satirised in one scene with a list of laws being presented in a restaurant as specials of the day. Some of the laws that they managed to get around included bypassing torture by moving everything to Guantanamo by – land not technically classified as American, the complete blackout of communications and complete and total power being abused on a technicality. This film really shows just how messed up politics is from the get-go, not a single person in power in the White House during these administrations could be trusted and all had ulterior motives.
One of the best things about this film is the way it's told. It jumps too and fro in the timeline of the Cheney family and is incredibly satirical. It certainly keeps the audience on their toes and breaks the fourth wall on more than one occasions. I particularly enjoyed the sudden credits fake-out in the middle, with a false story about the Cheney's living a quiet life after stepping back from the Presidential race. It also keeps the audience guessing with an off-screen narrator that draws everyone in with a 'you'll find out more about me later' - once revealed I'm not so sure that the connection was that worthy but it's keeps you gripped. I also liked the use of focus groups for the politicians but also the audience to keep track of Iraq war public opinion, this was interesting to see because it really shows that the Iraq war was a made up excuse to go into a country and invade but twisted public views and opinions in the wake of 9/11.
While I'm not entirely sold on the satirical telling of this true-life tale, the editing style is fresh and keeps you guessing unlike the similar Front Runner which dwindles out about half-way through. The cast are fantastic with Bale being especially impressive and the story is interesting, especially as something I knew very little about. I'm not a hundred percent sold on this film but it's interesting enough.
Rating: 7/10
By Rebecca Mannick
Not going to lie I have been putting off reviewing Vice purely because I'm so angry about what I had witnessed. I'm going to assume that all the facts were correct and that the story was displayed true and biographical. Vice is a movie that is solely based around Dick Cheney who eventually ends up being the vice president to George W Bush Jr and CEO of Halliburton a multinational corporation focusing on oil field servicing. Director Adam McKay draws the audience into Dick's life, all the way from the beginning of his political career.
There is somewhat of an acting masterclass from the main cast - all led by Christian Bale who plays Dick Cheney. The way he was evolved through time in two hours was really impressive. At first he was this innocent trainee politician trying to impress in the White House, to then a monstrous prominent feature who is making big decisions on war and foreign policies. Amy Adams played Lynne Cheney - who was always supportive of her husband, she looked after their two girls while he was on business. Their on screen husband and wife duo was super believable - they just bounced off each other during scenes. They had different versions of their power and where it worked. The other two actors who deserve to be mentioned are Steve Carell (who has really had some brilliant performances recently) and Sam Rockwell. Sam Rockwell always does well during award season so I'd be surprised if he doesn't pick up an award for best supporting actor for his portrayal of president George W Bush.
On the whole it wasn't a story that I particularly enjoyed, but also very relevant in the current political climate we are in. I remember in psychology class, we learnt about the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, and this subject was briefly touched upon. The way Dick Cheney brushed things off just because they were Americans is quite sickening. But what made it such a interesting watch was its editing technique. Not many movies are edited in this way unless they are documentaries. They would cut and merge images which are powerful and descriptive of what was going on in the narrative. I wouldn't necessarily watch Vice again but if you're interested in politics, the Iraq war or even 9/11 this will be an interesting watch for you.
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