The Manchurian Candidate delves into a subject matter that, at best, has a spotted past in film. Explorations of conspiracies and damaged minds is fraught with danger, not the least being a need for a director that does not get caught up in expressing the confusion of the central character’s mind with the telling of a story. Fortunately, Jonathan Demme successfully avoids these pitfalls.

The success of The Manchurian Candidate is without doubt due to its exceptional acting performances. Both Denzel Washington and Liev Schreiber give well rounded performances as the Brainwashed soldiers. They both walk the fine line of depicting their confused mental states without confusing or boring the audience. Jon Voight also gives a short but solid showing.

Meryl Streep, however, steals the show and is almost too good as the passionate and maniacal mother/politician. Every second she is on the screen you are left feeling icky. Her performance is absolutely pivotal to the entire movie because this in fact is less a movie about conspiracies and brainwashing, and more about her. Her life, her political power and her relationship with her son are all based on what happens to a person who no longer believes they are accountable for their actions. This is perfectly expressed in the Oedipal scene, which is indubitably an excellent portrayal of child sex abuse, because her son is unable to say no to her advances or tell anyone about them. Her manipulation of him robs him of his adult power, making her eternally the all-powerful ‘Mother’. She only has her conscience to contend with and as we have seen throughout the film, she dealt with that long ago.

The Manchurian Candidate is more than you would expect from a political thriller. It is scathing of the American political system and raises questions of about America’s current foreign policy. But more central to the story is the abuse of power from the highest echelons of politics, right down to a mother’s power and responsibility for her child. I give this film 4 stars.