This is a good old-fashioned thriller, nothing less, and nothing more.
Comment
06/21/05
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
82
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:195
Fresh:159
Rotten:36
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: While not the classic its predecessor is, this update is well-acted and conjures a chilling resonance.
Theatrical Release:19-11-2004
Synopsis: Jonathan Demme updates the original 1962 John Frankenheimer classic with plenty of new paranoid twists: This time a sinister Halliburton-style corporation is behind the brainwashing of a Gulf War... [More]
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Jon Voight
Director: Jonathan Demme
Reviews for The Manchurian Candidate
An exhilarating, if politically wishy-washy, modern-day reimagining of Frankenheimer’s gem.
05/04/05
No review available.
04/02/05
Jonathan Demme's inventive update of The Manchurian Candidate proves that you can remake classic movies -- provided you've got a strong captain at the helm.
03/05/05
Inégal, mais efficace.
02/25/05
Demme’s The Manchurian Candidate is a political popcorn pleaser that’s rousing in its sheer rawness.
01/26/05
Demme takes the excellent source material ... and recreates it in a new style, with energy, wit, and a profound sense of cultural relevance.
12/31/04
While not superior to the original, this paranoid conspiracy psycho-thriller is still a superior remake.
11/19/04
It doesn't match the raw, satirical power of the original, but Demme's "Candidate" does score major points for being so prescient.
11/16/04
To Read review visit www.EmanuelLevy.com
11/14/04
No review available.
11/08/04
There isn't a dull moment in this hallucinatory thriller, where the self-serving spin of TV news permeates the story throughout like a malevolent Greek chorus.
11/02/04
Sure the original 1962 version with Sinatra was better, but still this Jonathon Demme take is pretty chilling.
10/24/04
Demme's remake of the 1962 cold war political thriller arrives in a particularly heated time in American political life. So how is it that if feels so lukewarm?
10/15/04
If they didn't get it, why did they want to remake it?
10/10/04
The original movie had a vision - quirky, unnerving, enduring - but the version now in theaters just has a market niche.
09/23/04
Director Demme is no John Frankenheimer and Meryl Streep...is no Angela Lansbury...Streep doesn’t even come close to portraying the menacing character Lansbury created.
09/20/04
[Director] Demme isn't so locked into a classic script that he can't find his own ethos, his own pulse, and his own unseen fears.
09/16/04
Though fans of the original may chafe at the altered ending, the new Candidate is a tight, high-strung political thriller in its own right.
09/09/04
A polite attempt at a modest reimagination, and on those grounds it succeeds.
09/04/04
Latest News for The Manchurian Candidate
November 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Halls" Spreads Little Cheer; "Déjà Vu" Intrigues; "The Fountain" Overflows; "Pick" Is Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got holiday mischief ("Deck the Halls," starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito), a phenomenon known as déjà vu ("Déjà... More...
June 29, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Superman" And "Devil" Are Certified Fresh
This week's wide releases both involve publishing. In "The Devil Wears Prada," the setting is a fashion magazine, and in "Superman Returns," it's The Daily... More...
March 23, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Inside Man" is Certified Fresh, Second Best-Reviewed Wide Release Of
Tension: it's the key to many a film, and this week's wide releases bring three variants on that theme. We've got a hostage situation ("Inside Man"), class conflict... More...
August 15, 2005:
Splinter Cell to Operate at a New Studio
Back in December 2004 it was announced that Peter Berg would be helming the videogame adaptation "Splinter Cell" for Paramount Pictures, but since that time we haven't... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds