61. Vice; movie review

VICE
Cert 15
132 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, disturbing scenes, infrequent bloody images

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What was more gobsmacking - Christian Bale's three stone weight gain of the stark 'evidence' of the pursuit of Iraq's oil being behind the war on Saddam?
Bale is unrecognisable as former Vice President Dick Cheney whose relentless quest for power is at the heart of Adam McKay's Vice.
But it is not the first time he has undergone a dramatic body alteration for a role, From the Machinist when he was skin and bone to the portly Cheney, he has subjected himself to an unhealthy gamut.
So, I was probably more surprised at the revelations of manipulation of the president and, subsequently, world leaders, including our own Tony Blair.
I would imagine Blair would be wincing if he thought Vice was anywhere near the mark in its assessment of the real reasons that America went to war in 2003 and pulled Britain along with it.
McKay's film delves deep into the influence which Cheney had over George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) and it also chronicles his career from his expulsion from Yale and drink-drive arrest in his early 20s.
Amy Adams plays Cheney's wife Lynne who was a 1960s version of Hilary Clinton, satisfying her own lust for power vicariously through her husband.
The film then skips through the period in which both Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) worked under the Nixon administration and then saw the first clear example of their expediency post-Watergate when they became the power behind Gerald Ford's presidency.
Vice is a whistle-stop tour of American politics over 40 years through the eyes of Cheney, dropping in his five heart attacks and the deeply important role of his family.
Students of American politics will find it riveting and revealing and film fans will acknowledge the brilliance of Bale and Adams' contribution.
A good friend of mine said that he was certain it would be in my top ten movies of the year.
I suspect those who will get most out of Vice will have a fairly decent knowledge of Capitol Hill and the workings of the White House.
Others will rate the performances highly, understand some of its key points but will probably not grasp enough of the nuances to call it a classic.
As a former newspaper editor, I am beguiled by the intrigue of politics and power but recognised that Vice's makers didn't try hard enough to appeal to those who didn't have background information.
For example, my 25-year-old Miss W studied the Nixon era at school but was, nevertheless, bamboozled by the emphasis given to Cheney's lawyers and the intricacies over executive authority.
In Miss W's words: "I thought it was good but I couldn't give it a mark out of ten."

Reasons to watch: Fascinating revelations and great performances
Reasons to avoid: If you an American conservative or don't have good knowledge of its recent political history

Laughs: Two
Jumps: One
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10


Did you know? Dick Cheney was manager of Gerald Ford's failed 1976 presidential election campaign

The final word. Adam McKay: On Saturday Night Live, we joked that he was Darth Vader,” he adds. “But I always felt like we maybe weren’t quite grasping how much he was gaming the system in Washington. I was always the one going, “Guys, I think it may be even worse than we thought.'” Rolling Stone

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