| United Artists | Release Date: October 24, 1962 | CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
19
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews
It may be the most sophisticated political satire ever made in Hollywood. (As quoted by Roger Ebert)
This is an oddball classic that leaves you weak with pleasure. [11 Mar 1988]
The Manchurian Candidate proves that its fascination is intact. [12 Jan 1998, p.C1; Re-Release]
This gonzo satiric thriller is a riveting portrait of early-60's paranoia. [15 Nov 1996, p.82]
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]
It seems a small miracle that The Manchurian Candidate is able to maintain its mad balancing act as long as it does. That the film slips near the end is a sign of how very hard it is. [11 Mar 1988, p.A]
Rarely do you see first-rate melodrama welded to first-rate political satire. [13 May 1988, p.D5]
Complaints? Sure, I had a few: The liberal use of insta-sweat whenever the character in question is experiencing tension, Harvey's aforementioned accent, one over-used shot composition that places the action at a great distance with a giant-headed supporting actor in the extreme foreground. [Re-release]
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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.
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