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The political atmosphere can become unbearably tense. If someone with a rabid fan base is placed in a position of power, it is only natural for his followers to grit their teeth at any bad word said about him or her. Movies are a great way to permanently (often justly) say something about these leaders and the decision they made to gain the power they wield.
Admittedly, not every great political movie adheres strictly to the facts. This is often done so that the movie can click at a pace that doesn’t drive viewers away. But that usually plays into the hands of political thrillers, because no one gets their heart’s content when they sit in front of bureaucratic chatter for two hours straight. These are thrillers that did things right, and will educate and entertain audiences who weren’t even alive when the films’ subjects were in The Office.
10 All the chief’s men
An accurate historical drama that corrects it, All the chief’s men All the right people behind the lens and in front of it too. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, respectively, couldn’t be more perfect. The same can be said of the decision to include Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook, and Jack Warden, who all brought a level of intensity to the proceedings once they were there.
The Watergate scandal is about as big a story as it gets, so much so that even those born in the 2000s are at least partially aware of it (thanks in large part to the recent actions of the individual and his supporters). This makes All the chief’s men Essential viewing, now more than ever, especially as it shows the way the press process is done He should It does (and often, but not always).
9 argo
The movie won Ben Affleck the Academy Award for Best Picture. argo is a nail-biter for a political movie that barely needs a gun to stir up tension. It’s also full of performances that really make the audience believe that a small group of people’s lives are all on the line as if they were in a hostage negotiation with an angry gunman.
argo Covers the US government’s plan to take six American hostages from 1979 in Tehran, Iran. When there seem to be no worthwhile options, Affleck’s Tony Mendes is called on to bring a fresh perspective to the table. And Mendez has one because he intends to disguise the Americans as members of a camera crew for a low-budget, low-budget picture. Admittedly, there have been people at points tighter than that argo He chooses to focus on it, but the fake movie plot line must be irresistible. And the good thing is Affleck made the movie he made because it won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
8 freak out
One of Brian De Palma’s best movies just as it is one of John Travolta’s movies, freak out It is a masterful action with a real sense of danger throughout. The film follows the accidental arrest of a sound engineer for murder. From there, things spiral out of control so quickly that he can barely even record the whole thing.
freak out It had a decent budget, but it’s not a bombastic movie. Instead, it values building tension most of all, and that slow build makes John Lithgow’s hostile Burke all the more frightening. Cast sure offers from my favorite travolta and karen allen palma, and freak out It is a stone cold classic. It’s certainly Hitchcock’s best take on De Palma throwbacks (specifically, back window), with no file mental patient Reverence, allegiance, or respect dressed to kill hold a candle to freak outimpact.
7 Conversation
Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather He may get more attention than he does Conversation, but the latter is just as important as the previous film. This is especially true considering that Coppola directed both films in the same year.
It stars Gene Hackman (in his prime) as probationary expert Harry Cole, a man who is often underpaid for recording people. But he thinks the newest couple he’s been watching is on the chopping block, and a little more attention on Caul’s part could lead to a similar ending for him. Conversation It shows Coppola at the peak of his ability to build tension, with several scenes in the Watch movie that are just as hard to watch as Fredo’s boat trip across the lake.
6 front runner
Jason Reitman front runner It is similar to the majority of his other films in that it deals with serious issues in a somewhat light tone. Unfortunately, unlike Reitman Juno or Ghostbusters: Afterlifelanded with a jingle at the box office.
Such a shame, because for a while front runner Maybe it’s average Reitman (it’s infinitely better than labor day And Men, women and children), Reitman continues. Few second generation authors have been able to display more talents than the individual who helped create them, but Jason Reitman is one definite example. His father may have taken out Ghostbusters’, but Jason has such a sense of personality that even generic texts endear him front runner He can feel like a winner. Unlike Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart, who is played by Hugh Jackman to pathetic perfection.
5 Frost / Nixon
Ron Howard Frost / Nixon It stands as one of the best films about American presidents, recent or otherwise. The cast is ridiculously stacked, and everyone is perfect in their roles. Frank Langella and Michael Sheen captivate in their leading spots Richard Nixon and British talk show host David Frost, respectively.
But there’s also Sam Rockwell and Kevin Bacon SuccessionMatthew Macfadyen, Rebecca Hall, and Toby Jones have all come together under the watchful eye Apollo 13 Director Ron Howard. As in that semi-political classic of the ’90s, Howard shows an ingenious knack for making tense, even traumatizing, narratives widely accessible. Frost / Nixon Not quite as family friendly Apollo 13But it’s worth seeing.
4 March idea
One of the best films about politics of the twenty-first century, March idea It is an entertaining and well-acted look at dirty dealings, dirty interactions behind closed doors, and how far one will go to elect their candidate. George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman are all great, with Wood, in particular, standing out.
Gosling stars as Stephen Myers, press secretary to famed Ohio Governor Mike Morris. Myers likes Morris’ politics and generally likes the man himself, but then some cracks start to grow at the front, and Myers sees how likely Morris’s leanings are to destroy the campaign.
3 JFK
The majority of oliver stone JFK It may be a series of increasingly silly guesses, but it’s an entertaining and well-assembled epic nonetheless. It also has perhaps the most impressive collection ever assembled for a single movie.
Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman (as Lee Harvey Oswald), Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, John Candy, Sissy Spacek, Ed Asner, Walter Matthau, SeinfeldWin Knight, Joe Pesci and the mighty Jack Lemon appear and deliver the ultimate A. It’s all a mystery in disguise, just as it is in real life, and the filmmakers’ love for Kennedy and all that he stood for is evident through every frame. It’s not a movie that sticks too tightly to the facts, but to be fair, there are so many uncertainties that there can’t be a specific story to tell.
2 Three days of condor
Robert Redford was in his place when he directed a political thriller. It makes sense that, along the way, the MCU picked him up Captain America: The Winter Soldieralthough he was not a hero in that movie.
It was Redford’s first political film candidate, which was more in keeping with political comedy than political drama, but was fun and insightful nonetheless. Three years later, he starred in a completely different movie Three days of condor, from the late Sydney Pollack, based on James Grady’s novel of the same name. Redford plays likable CIA researcher Joe Turner, who goes out to lunch and returns to find another of his co-workers murdered. Now he’s next on his list of targets, and his only ally appears to be a civilian woman named Cathy (Faye Dunaway).
1 Zero Dark Thirty
An Academy Award recipient in addition to her financial success, Kathryn Bigelow has followed up with her popular political thriller. Pain locker with Zero Dark Thirty. Bolstered by a phenomenal lead performance from Jessica Chastain, the film makes a well-known piece of relatively recent history seem unpredictable regardless.
The hunt for Osama bin Laden has gripped the US mind for more than a decade, and the third installment in the film’s portrayal is gnawing thriller at its best. But the fact of it Zero Dark Thirty It can make behind-the-door negotiations and cut red tape as interesting as Seal Team Six’s infiltration of bin Laden’s compound is no small feat.
