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The Contender
The Contender
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The Contender

The Contender

2000
Suspense/Thriller
2h 6m
A political thriller about Laine Hanson, a senator who is nominated to become Vice President following the death of the previous office holder. During the confirmation process, Laine is the victim of a vicious attack on her personal life in which stories of sexual deviancy are spread. She is torn as to whether she should fight back, or stick to her high principles and refuse to comment on the allegations. Although it isn't easy, she sticks to her guns, and in the end she is rewarded for it. (imdb)

Directed by:

Rod Lurie

Screenwriter:

Rod Lurie

Starring:

Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, Philip Baker Hall, Jeff Bridges, Robin Thomas, Joan Allen, Sam Elliott, Mariel Hemingway, Saul Rubinek, Kathryn Morris, Mike Binder, William Petersen

Genre:

Suspense/Thriller

Countries:

Germany, UK, USA

Language:

English
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The Contender

2000
Suspense/Thriller
2h 6m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 52.78% from 509 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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hellboy76hellboy76
Rated 20 Sep 2010
67
57th
Overlooked little fuck drama. Allen, Bridges and Oldman are all solid and Sam Elliott with his "But one thing they can't stomach is the image of a Vice President with a mouth full of cock!" rant had me giggling for days.
Rated 20 Sep 2010
sproostsproost
Rated 15 Mar 2024
60
44th
Jeff Bridges as the president of the USA, quite a hoot! And he’s bowling!
Rated 15 Mar 2024
jnydamjnydam
Rated 25 Nov 2022
52
40th
lacks thrills, super slow like watching the West Wing
Rated 25 Nov 2022
overratedoverrated
Rated 06 Oct 2022
41
34th
Another 90's liberal Clinton apologia entry in the vein of The American President. It's got decent performances but it's fundamentally the same as all of that other Sorkin shit, like how one impassioned speech changes everything.
Rated 06 Oct 2022
margustaMargusTa
Rated 12 Oct 2020
61
44th
I think the cast were superb. But political thrillers is not my cup of tea. Another hand this movie gives you good idea why sometimes good person is demonized in mass-media.
Rated 12 Oct 2020
3drevelation3dRevelation
Rated 04 Dec 2014
75
62nd
The Contender is a decent film. It could have been better. It's a bit too dramatic. There's a scene, almost vomit-inducing IMO, where Joan Allen delivers a speech while schmaltzy music plays in the background while the camera slowly zooms in on her face. Allen is quite good, as are Oldman and Elliott. I wasn't convinced by Bridges. Not as good as Advise & Consent.
Rated 04 Dec 2014
zipsterZipster
Rated 11 Aug 2014
80
50th
Mostly, The Contender is a clever and educated view of the ways officials are chosen and sabotaged. The last ten minutes make it all a total charade.
Rated 11 Aug 2014
filliganFilligan
Rated 09 Aug 2014
71
23rd
Political thrillers, by and large, get a pass from me, and The Contender squeaks by. It isn't because the genre is incapable of producing rubbish, but because it's too rare a genre in the first place to find such rubbish. The three headliners make this as watchable as it is, particularly Oldman as the delightfully restrained but oily Republican and Bridges as a Bartlet-inspired powerhouse of Democratic idealism. The ending is pure fantasy, but sometimes politics needs optimism.
Rated 09 Aug 2014
naurunauru
Rated 17 May 2014
15
10th
Some good acting from Gary Oldman but the rest of the film is based around characters who are simply unlikeable -- especially the lead. This is basically a story of what might happen if American politics was essentially a fairy tale where senior politicians care more about social justice principles than they do about amassing more power. And where music plays everytime they make some bullshit speech. Worst ending I've seen in years. Just forget this film and go watch House of Cards instead.
Rated 17 May 2014
ytadelYtadel
Rated 06 Sep 2013
6
71st
The story is a very interesting one, exploring the intersection of feminism and politics in a thoughtful way that, though the film's second act, I think at least approximates how something like this might actually go down. It unfortunately ends in pure cheese, though, which made me like the movie less than I ultimately would have had it stuck to its more cynical guns. Gary Oldman's sweaty Republican villain is great though, and Sam Elliott kicks ass, even sans mustache.
Rated 06 Sep 2013
thegreyfoxthegreyfox
Rated 04 Dec 2011
88
89th
What a shame real politicians are not as principled as those portrayed in this excellent film. Superb and subtle performances by Allen, Bridges and Oldman, who are simply a delight to watch ... sometimes a film is both a vehicle to watch brilliant actors at work AS WELL AS a damn good story with a message. A little too "hollywood" at the end, but hey, thats hollywood for you. Highly recommended
Rated 04 Dec 2011
johnsandwichJohnSandwich
Rated 25 May 2011
60
41st
Remember it being decent, but severely forgettable I'm afraid - I had forgotten all about it until I browsed Gary Oldman's list of films. Pretty great cast.
Rated 25 May 2011
davidblastDavidBlast
Rated 12 Sep 2010
50
43rd
Decent enough "Did she fuck'em?" suspense flick that is lifted by Gary Oldman and his wonderful wig and Jeff Bridge's ever hungry suave, before crashing surely and securely into a piss pot of moralizing Hollywood mush. *Spoiler* I don't wanna give the show away folks, and I say this knowing perfectly well that it's Joan Allen we're talking about... but this film would have been so much better if she had fucked them, and we had watched.
Rated 12 Sep 2010
billkerwinbillkerwin
Rated 12 Feb 2010
78
35th
An excellent performance by Joan Allen, but neither the screenplay nor the direction are noteworthy.
Rated 12 Feb 2010
anselmi86Anselmi86
Rated 28 Jul 2009
94
94th
Vastly overrated. One of the greatest political thrillers ever made. Amazing performances all around, but Gary Oldman in particular. Oh my God. Deserved no less than an Oscar. He is simply brilliant.
Rated 28 Jul 2009
stainStain
Rated 25 May 2009
60
47th
Surprisingly blah, considering the meatiness of the material. All the stuff on the floor of the U.S. Senate invites comparisons to _Advise and Consent_, which is a HELL of a lot better than this
Rated 25 May 2009
jeg2jeg2
Rated 16 May 2008
65
70th
Wll-acted. Didn't get the attention it desrved despite the Oscar.
Rated 16 May 2008
ktappektappe
Rated 22 Mar 2008
98
94th
Intriguing, captivating. This is really a must-see for any viewer who enjoys politics. Not for anyone who likes mindless shoot-em-up, escapist films. See this if you like to think as you watch and keep your brain engaged.
Rated 22 Mar 2008
yilbyilb
Rated 08 Mar 2008
40
25th
For a picture that previewed looking like a total bore, it really is quite engaging. It's awfully nice to think of politicians as having ideals & morals, although the ending of the picture strips away the tension in favor of lazy feel good scenes that to some extent we don't really care about. Kinda goody feel good fantasy with watered down moral.
Rated 08 Mar 2008
actionbergActionberg
Rated 01 Feb 2008
65
38th
It's got a compelling story that's really preachy, but solid performances by just about everybody, especially Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges, make it worthy of a rental.
Rated 01 Feb 2008
dustydDustyd
Rated 16 Sep 2007
75
79th
solid drama with good acting.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
stflyst_fly
Rated 23 Aug 2007
90
95th
Excellent
Rated 23 Aug 2007
fudgiebfudgieb
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
42nd
pretty interesting.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 12 Dec 2006
71
29th
I enjoy political movies, but not so much movies about politicians. It's well made, has solid performances and some interesting moments but it's a little too dry to be really captivating.
Rated 12 Dec 2006

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