Movie of the Week 35

Vice   2018   drama biography

​Available on Prime Video

Full disclaimer – Being a hard-core Independent, I was quick to detect a left-wing bias in the storytelling, but it was not offensive. I recommend this film regardless of your politics because the war drums beat constantly, and it is important to know how and why the War Propaganda machine works in America. The movie skewers the Republican War Party wing, of which Dick Cheney was one of the kingpins. I don't need to remind you about the unjustified, wasteful, and disastrous war in Iraq, for which Cheney strongly advocated using a fake casus belli (WMD). But, to be fair, don’t forget the many Democrats who voted for the Iraq war (Clinton, Biden, et al). Now back to the movie…​

The ensemble cast and the acting in this film is world class. Amy Adams can do no wrong, and she is terrific playing Lynne Cheney. Sam Rockwell nails the role of dufuss Bush Jr, and Steve Carell has a commanding turn as “Rummy” Rumsfeld. As much as this movie paints Cheney (Christian Bale) as a villain, the writer/director still gave him depth by showing compassionate family moments, and struggles with his cardio health problems. You really get to see how this man ticks. Some wonks have claimed that Cheney became the most powerful VP in U.S. history. I am not at all sure about the accuracy of that claim, but the story is all the more interesting having lived it.

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