The Contender (2000)

Director:

Rod Lurie

Writer (WGA):

Rod Lurie (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.

Plot:

Sexy secrets from a womans past come to light as she runs for Vice President.

Plot Keywords:

President | Senator | Political Thriller | Political | Change Of Mind

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 18 nominations

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Shelly Runyon
Joan Allen	...	Laine Hanson
Jeff Bridges	...	President Jackson Evans
Christian Slater	...	Reginald Webster
Sam Elliott	...	Kermit Newman
William Petersen	...	Jack Hathaway
Saul Rubinek	...	Jerry Tolliver
Philip Baker Hall	...	Oscar Billings
Mike Binder	...	Lewis Hollis
Robin Thomas	...	William Hanson
Mariel Hemingway	...	Cynthia Charlton Lee
Kathryn Morris	...	Paige Willomina
Kristen Shaw	...	Fiona Hathaway
Douglas Urbanski	...	Makerowitz
Noah Fryrear	...	Timmy

Also Known As:

Rufmord - Jenseits der Moral (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #37565) | Iceland:L (theatrical rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

DreamWorks Pictures

Trivia:

Every time President Evans calls a meeting (formal or informal) he is either eating or orders food to be eaten.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the yacht scene, a close-up of the President's West Point Ring can be seen. This reveals the Academy Crest facing away from the heart (as if saluting). Upon Graduation from West Point, graduates face the Class Crest away from the heart and the Academy Crest towards the heart.

Quotes:

[Missing a bowling roll]
President Jackson Evans: Well, that's what I get for my Leftist tendencies.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: 'The Contender': The Making of a Political Thriller (#7.17)" (2000)

So many acting Pros, so few twists

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Rod Lurie is living my fantasy. After a career as a movie critic, he is now directing some of Hollywood's best (and under-utilized) actors and actresses. This little thriller is fun to watch thanks mostly to the skills of those on the screen. All of these actors should work more ... SHARE your talent. Jeff Bridges is a very pompous, yet charming, smooth talking president. I assume the list to play the president was short, thanks to a couple of script lines about Clinton. Joan Allen is excellent as the cool senator with the lurid past (?) who is nominated for the VP slot. Gary Oldman, who continues to reinvent the role of CREEP, steals every scene he is in. Of course, this happens in all of his movies! It is always nice to see Sam Elliott and William Petersen on screen. And I guess Christian Slater is trying to salvage a career after the disastrous "Very Bad Things". He has lost some smugness and tempered his Jack Nicholson dialect. My only disappointment with the movie was in the script. Although I love the subject matter and the issues raised, I kept waiting for the shoe to drop on Gary Oldman's charater's deep, dark secret. Jeff Bridges stifling his political career seem quite the letdown. Would have really enjoyed a few more plot twists to really test the audience and cast. My tidbit for this one comes from the career of Sam Elliott. Next time you are watching "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", check out a young Sam Elliott in the early card playing scene. Also, William Petersen's power-hungry wife in "The Contender" is played by Kristen Shaw, a carry-over from Rod Lurie's film, "Deterrence".