The Manchurian Candidate is a political thriller movie released in 2004, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Liev Schreiber. The film is a remake of the 1962 movie of the same title. The story is based on the novel "The Manchurian Candidate" by Richard Condon.
The movie follows the story of Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), who begins to have nightmares about an incident that happened during the Gulf War in Kuwait. He, along with his fellow soldiers, was ambushed and captured by enemy forces. Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), one of the soldiers, saved the whole squad and was honored with the Medal of Honor. After the war, Shaw enters politics and becomes a vice-presidential candidate.
As Marco's nightmares become intense, he starts to doubt the legitimacy of Shaw's heroism. He begins to investigate and finds out that there might be a conspiracy behind Shaw's success in politics. Marco’s investigation leads him to a private military contractor, Manchurian Global, and its powerful CEO, Eleanor Prentiss Shaw (Meryl Streep), who happens to be Raymond’s domineering mother. The company has been secretly conducting brainwashing experiments on soldiers to create political assassins.
As Marco delves deeper into the conspiracy, he discovers that he and Shaw were experimented on by the company during their captivity. They both have implanted microchips that can control their minds and make them do whatever their controllers want. In the climax, Marco and Shaw confront each other, and the truth is revealed. Shaw's mother is the mastermind behind the plot to make her son President of the United States by using him as a puppet.
The Manchurian Candidate is a tense and thought-provoking movie that explores themes of power, manipulation, and patriotism. The film received critical acclaim for its direction, screenplay, and performances by the lead actors.