The Manchurian Candidate
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 34
  3. Negative: 2 out of 34

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Frostbite
    Oct 13, 2010
    10
    Not many movies focus on the topic of brainwashing, and that's what makes The Manchurian Candidate such an amazing and unique film. The movie follows a military veteran as he tries to figure out why he doesn't remember his friend performing an amazing act of heroism that saved two soldiers and awarded him the medal of honor. Another man in their squad talks of strange dreams, and soon after that the movie is launched into a story of politics, intrigue, and of course, brainwashing. The story leads to a great ending that wraps up everything nicely.… Expand
  2. ThomasW.
    Jan 28, 2007
    10
    Excellent! Spell binding!!
  3. PatC.
    Apr 6, 2006
    10
    One of the Essentials. Both a well constructed film and an insightful articulation of the fears, suspicions and intrigue of the cold war era. Seems a litle over the top today, but hey, we still don't really know what really happened when Kennedy was shot. And that happened after this movie was made.
  4. FrankO.
    Jan 10, 2006
    10
    One of the best all-time political thrillers. Actually own this DVD and my collection is very selective. Plot was so controversial at production that release was delayed for years.
  5. KeirS.
    Sep 24, 2005
    10
    Incredible, timely film.
  6. KevinB.
    Jul 15, 2005
    10
    Forget "Citizen Kane", "Casablanca" or "The Godfather".. this is the best movie ever! Still ahead of its time!
  7. Gregory
    Aug 9, 2004
    10
    The classic. Chilling, especially Angela Lansbury's performance. Taut, with nothing added or omitted. The dream sequences are filmmaking at its best. The additional material on the DVD, specifically the interview with Frankenheimer and Sinatra, is interesting and provides the kind of context one longs for in the additional materials found on DVDs today. Films this good are rarely made today, and it is a sin, if not a crime, that the 2004 trash remake was ever green-lighted. Remaking films like "The Manchurian Candidate" reveals how bereft of creativity Hollywood has become. What's next? A remake of "Citizen Kane?" … Expand
  8. JasonP.
    Aug 7, 2004
    10
    Frankenheimer's Manchurian Candidate deserves all of the praise it has received over the years. Still razor sharp over a third of a century later.
  9. PeterA.
    Aug 4, 2004
    10
    This movie literally blew my mind when I first saw it years ago. I'm not sure how a movie should be judged by "today's standards" since no movie maker today would be trying to make a movie to live up to future standards by which it should be judged. My only quibble--isn't it rather coincidental that Rosie comes dressed as the Queen Card? I mean, out of all the possible costumes she could have chosen??… Expand
  10. MYOBF.
    Aug 3, 2004
    6
    It's good, but the whole assassination attempt is sooooo weak by today's standards. Maybe I've just read too many Tom Clancy books or seen too many well-done sequences in other movies, but by today's standards, the action part of the movie is incredibly lame and really submarines the rest of the movie for me. If the assassination attempt had been even remotely plausible (or better yet, not taken up so much screen time), I think the movie would be better overall. By the standards of its time, this is a first-rate movie. But by today's standards, only the political thriller part works.… Expand
  11. KyleA.
    Jul 6, 2004
    10
    One of the best films of all time...in my opinion, and in AFI's. Brilliant plotline and superb acting, especially by Angela Lansbury. Certainly the best political thriller ever made.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Pauline Kael
    100
    It may be the most sophisticated political satire ever made in Hollywood. (As quoted by Roger Ebert)
  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Bosley Crowther
    60
    The film is so artfully contrived, the plot so interestingly started, the dialogue so racy and sharp, and John Frankenheimer's direction so exciting in the style of Orson Welles when he was making Citizen Kane and other pictures that the fascination of it is strong. So many fine cinematic touches and action details pop up that one keeps wishing the subject would develop into something more than it does.
    Read full review
  3. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    90
    The performances are daring and assured, especially Lansbury's holy terror of Momism and Harvey's snide, pathetic pawn, brainwashed by both KGB AND CIA. [21 March 1988, p.84]
See all critic reviews »