Vice | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I'm almost finished with the Oscar Best Picture nominees, and this is one that snuck up on a lot of people, including me. To be honest, it's probably the only nominee that I wouldn't have ever seen if it wasn't nominated - but just like previous years, films that you wouldn't have watched otherwise end up completely surprising you.

Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) has been picked as George W. Bush's (Sam Rockwell) running mate in the 2000 presidential election. While he has a wealth of political knowledge and experience, Cheney's methods aren't what everyone expects. And when a man like Cheney gets a vast amount of power, you see exactly what he's willing to do with it.

The first thing I have to talk about are the actors that portray these characters. Christian Bale, Amy Adams (as Lynne Cheney) and Steve Carell (as Donald Rumsfeld) are all completely unrecognisable in these roles, both physically, and in the fact that these are roles that we haven't seen some of them in before.

In addition to this, Sam Rockwell is also amazing in his role as Bush, and there are other well-known actors, such as Tyler Perry, who take on these political figures so well that you can't even tell who they are until you see their names in the credits.

Lots of moments in the film happen in flashes, almost as if they were happening in Cheney's head, and in a way, they seem to give an insight into his mindset, and the way that he makes decisions.

The film absolutely doesn't shy away from the bad things that Cheney did. Because of this, the best thing that the film did was have it narrated by someone who wasn't Cheney, or one of his family members. An external character was created to tell this story, and this is one of the reasons why the film works as well as it does.

Having said all this, the film is about real-life people and real-life instances that happened, for the most part. Because of this, you already know your level of interest before watching. If you didn't care about these people before-hand, then you're probably not going to care about the characters while watching the film. In other words, it's not the kind of film that will change your view of these political figures.

Overall, I would recommend the film, because it's a really interesting watch. A fictionalised version of a serious biopic that doesn't take itself too seriously despite the serious subject matter.

6.5/10

Lou