382. The Candidate (El reino); movie review

THE CANDIDATE (EL REINO)
Cert 15
129 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, infrequent bloody violence, discriminatory language

Call me naive, but the more movies I watch and the more I read, the clearer it becomes that the UK has one of the cleaner political set-ups in the world.
I have advised local politicians since setting up my public relations business just over three years ago and I haven't seen a whiff of impropriety.
Before that, I spent decades in regional newspapers and only a handful of times did we turn over politicians who had abused the system.
Any jiggery-pokery is reprehensible but the dodgy-dealers are very low-key by comparison to the institutionalised corruption which takes place in countries such as Spain.
The latter is the territory of Rodrigo Sorogoyen's The Candidate - an award-winning thriller about a political advisor who finds himself at the centre of a scandal.
Antonio de la Tore plays Manuel, who looks set to step into the higher echelons of national politics when the house of cards comes falling down.
And it all begins so promisingly in his eyes - friends making loud jokes at a plush restaurant, eating the most lavish of meals.
Then they head off for more decadence on the most expensive of boats - unaware that one of them is recording their actions and conversation.
Inevitably, the applecart tips over as financial misdealings are revealed and the finger is pointed at a colleague and then directly at Manuel.
It is fair to say that The Candidate demands full attention. There is quite a lot of detail of political chicanery but there are rewards for perseverance with its storyline.
To get the most out of the film I focused specifically on Manuel, bearly noticing the characters who buzz around him like flies.
The exception is his wife (Mónica López) who, after enjoying the good life, is faced with bearing much of the brunt of catastrophe.
De la Torre excels in the lead role, initially full of calm assurance when he believes the situation can be resolved and drifting through panic and desperation to fear.
I can only imagine what it is like in the corridors of power when the muck really hits the fan but I would think it would not be far away from the representation in The Candidate.

Reasons to watch: Fast-paced political thriller
Reasons to avoid: Too complex for its own good

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? According to Politico, 1,378 Spanish officials were prosecuted for corruption between July 2015 and September 2016.

The final word. Rodrigo Sorogoyen: "First we wanted to talk about the political class, and its, on many occasions, lack of ethics. But ultimately, and more importantly, we want to reflect on how this lack of ethics extends to our society. We have the politicians we deserve." Variety

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