Rated R for Sexual Content and Language

Starring: Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, Jeff Bridges and Mariel Hemingway

Written and Directed By: Rod Lurie

Produced By: Battleground Productions, Cinecontender, Cinerenta, and SE8 Group.

Distributed by: DreamWorks SKG

A gripping political suspense of clintonian proportions.

Your past isn't safe from the public eye

The Vice President has died, and the president (Bridges) is appointing someone to the office, lots of people believe it could be a democratic governor or Senator Laine Hanson (Allen) a woman. But what haunts her chances of being the first female vice president is alligations that in her college years she was involved in a sex show at a college frat house. this being brought to attention by Sulley Runyan (Oldman) a cunning republican that hates the idea of women in high office or hates democrats. So he finds this information out as clever as he can.

Oldman is truely a great villian and should at least get an Oscar nomination. The President portrayed by Bridges as a food-addict has some of the funny lines in this otherwise serious drama. Christian Slater yet again plays his cool side as a congressional appointee to the trial of Hanson. There is a lot of suspenseful moments as well as a much needed lesson on how a vice president is chosen after the current one has died. Besides the Presidents food addiction several scenes contain food references, food being eaten in scenes or food mentioned by name, clearly strange for a political movie to deal with. Clearly a powerful film to show the negativity of big government. Cameo of Mariel Hemingway as an old Hanson friend.

10/10 for amazing congressional hearing scenes as well as great acting by Allen, Oldman, Slater and Bridges.Could have made begining titles better, thought I was in the wrong theater. 95%/100% Some abrupt cuts in scenes in beginning, Governor is on talk show talks for about 5 or so seconds cut to a different scene. Does that for a bit but stays in scenes longer later during film. Advice: stay a little bit longer in begining scenes looked like it was done rushed. 911 call garbled cuts. not good for opening action.