Vice (2018)

111min

Genre:       Fact-based, Comedy, Drama

Director:    Adam McKay

Cast:         Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell…and more

Writer:      Adam McKay

-Synopsis-

Respected by some, reviled by others, and feared by many, US political stalwart Dick Cheney rises through the ranks of the republican party, serving presidents and cleaning house in the private sector on his way to becoming one of the most powerful and notorious vice presidents in American history—in this biographical tale of the man behind the man from the writer/director of ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ and ‘The Other Guys’.

Ever since he used his considerable comedic chops to pull back the curtain on the 2008 financial crisis with Oscar-winning results in ‘The Big Short’, Adam McKay seems to have found a new calling as a cinematic truth-teller—making sense of the current state of America while exposing the corruption which underpins it, and delivering a warning for the future. Now the towering writer/director takes aim at one of the most notorious and enigmatic leaders in modern US history, taking plenty of artistic license and combining it with factual accounts and real events, creating a political satire and semi-hypothetical personal portrait of a man who fundamentally changed America and the world . . . many say for the worse.

Christian Bale stars as Richard Bruce Cheney himself, a quiet Midwesterner with limited prospects whose life is transformed with the help of his uncompromising and fiercely loyal wife Lynne (Amy Adams), as he climbs the  Washington ladder and steadily navigates its corridors of power, serving in the Nixon, Ford and George H. W. Bush administrations with quiet determination and rubbing shoulders with power players like the brash Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell). When the opportunity arises to return to the White House under George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell), this uncharismatic Washington insider consolidates unheard of power in the office of Vice President, capitalising on the events of a fateful tragic morning in September to forever change the world as we know it.

Much like ‘The Big Short’ was not your typical biographical satire, ‘Vice’ is not your average biopic. McKay blends a traditional but non-linear recounting of a historical figure’s life with his own now trademark, Shakespeare-inspired narrative techniques, employing entertaining and informative 4th wall-breaking self-referential story sidebars to explain complex socio-political concepts to the audience, and illuminate a historical context—even delivering a hilarious mid-film wishful thinking ending.

Right from the opening disclaimer McKay is upfront about how much artistic license he’ll be taking with the personality of the secretive and reserved Dick Cheney, and indeed those around him. While it may be hard to argue against the notion that ‘Vice’ is something of a character assassination piece, it’s easy to question that very character, and even more difficult to argue that this mesmerising hit job is unfounded . . . or undeserved.

‘Vice’ jumps back and forth between Cheney’s early life and political career in the 70s and 80s, and its pinnacle as the puppeteer Vice President, while painting a portrait of a dedicated family man whose empathy rarely extended beyond the home. It’s all threaded together by his quiet determination, an authoritarian streak and lust for power, plus the malleable morality which allowed him to disregard the human consequences of his grand ambitions.

Whilst it leans more towards drama and may not be a laugh-a-minute riot, ‘Vice’ is often outrageously comical, featuring plenty of dry and occasionally absurdist humour befitting a “laughing to keep from crying” ethos, but it’s often punctured by the poignancy of the tragic consequences of Cheney’s actions and convictions.

From George W. Bush to Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld to Colin Powell, many familiar figures of recent history are brought to life with gusto by the actors playing them, often looking the part but taking artistic license with their character, particularly Steve Carell as a brash blowhard version of former US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. Meanwhile the always excellent Amy Adams brings the woman behind the man to our attention, and a whole host of Bush administration string-pullers are brought to the fore.

But this is undoubtedly the Christian Bale show, as the chameleonic Brit adds to his deserved reputation as one of the finest and most dedicated actors alive with a nuanced and transformative performance, leaving enough space through the character’s still, contemplative and calculating nature to let the audience decide whether ‘Vice’ helps to humanise or further demonise Dick Cheney . . . or whether the truth by itself is enough to do so.

‘Vice’ works best though as an oversimplified but slick and majorly entertaining Hollywood recent history lesson, and a cinematic mini-lecture on American civics and constitutional democracy—not to mention an indictment on the current state of a divided American society, its politics and culture. McKay cleverly draws parallels between Cheney’s career trajectory and the surge in the forces and phenomena which subvert US democracy; the rise of powerful Washington lobbyists and think tanks, Fox News, extensive executive powers and the conservative spin machine—all while delivering a warning about those who seek absolute power . . . and how they may get it.

The film also seamlessly weaves into its narrative the consequences for democracy of the so-called ‘war on terror’, where people are convinced to trade real freedom for false security, and become destined to repeat the mistakes of the past, including those of early 20th century history which led to totalitarianism and global tragedy.

In these divided times, what you take from ‘Vice’ will depend on what you bring into it, your ideologies and political affiliations, but McKay comfortably does enough to make this much more than two hours of self-righteous fodder for liberal rage—ultimately pulling a hugely entertaining, informative and thought-provoking biopic out of his cinematic bag of tricks.

The Bottom Line…

Part biographical period piece and part scathing political satire but all bold and unapologetic, ‘Vice’ pulls back the curtain on a notoriously secretive and manipulative figure, and the system which allowed him to thrive, while entertaining, informing and asking uncomfortable questions about the state of America . . . and throwing an improvised explosive device into the whole biopic sub-genre.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Big Short (2015)

Comedy writer/director extraordinaire Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) wrangles an all-star cast in this tragic tale of corporate greed, stupidity and corruption, about a rag-tag group of Wall Street outsiders who predicted the bursting of the mid 2000s US housing bubble, which led to global financial meltdown, and who made billions of dollars betting against the big banks and the American economy.

Directed by Adam McKay and starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling among others.

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