Mystery has always surrounded the life and legacy of Vice President Dick Cheney, second in command to then-President George W. Bush, as he stood seemingly in the shadows during a divisive eight-year term.
In Adam McKay’s bio-pic satire Vice, already a frontrunner in the awards chatter, Cheney’s life is examined in a “true-ish” fashion, along with some admittedly creative liberty. Cheney was a very secretive man after all, before and during his political reign, and with little concrete material to work with, McKay and company tell us from get-got go: “we did our fucking best.”
A silent mastermind
At the time of this review, Vice holds the record as the most nominated film this year. Christian Bale transforms both literally and figuratively into the overweight social climber Richard ‘Dick’ Cheney, who jumped on an opportunity to attach himself to Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) and ride the political wave into the White House. The film begins on the morning of September 11th, 2001, with Cheney and other Washington heavyweights watching the horrific events unfold. Surrounded by chaos, commotion, confusion, and fear, Cheney remains as cool as a cucumber and, if we are to believe McKay’s rendition, the one who truly lead this country to war. With George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) as the nation’s figurative leader, Cheney is portrayed as the silent mastermind quietly controlling the strings and loving his position of absolute power while he pushed political (and ethical) boundaries.
“Beware the quiet man,” goes the saying, and Cheney proves this warning to be accurate. A booze-loving partier in his earlier years, which resulted in getting him kicked out of Yale, Cheney was forced to reign it in by his steadfast and loyal wife, Lynne (Amy Adams). Together, they would raise two daughters Mary (Alison Pill) and Liz (Lily Rabe) and live a comfortable life, but it was Cheney’s power-hungry personality that eventually landed him in the White House. His career trajectory is fascinating, while at the same time horrifying, as a tangled web of politics is exposed (it’s crazy to think how Watergate seemed like a simpler time in comparison to day’s political climate).
Transforming into the political heavyweight (pun intended)
The stacked cast of actors playing infamous political figures adds to the film’s already solid package. Bale adds both weight and a slightly stuttering, gravelly voice to the former VP. Carell is heartfelt and humorous, Adams is passionate and inspiring, Rockwell is goofy and childish. Other famous faces making an appearance are Tyler Perry as Colin Powell and Justin Kirk as Scooter Libby, both equally unrecognizable and phenomenal.
Shaking up the narrative with Shakespeare
Vice feels much like director Adam McKay’s previous praiseworthy governmental introspective drama The Big Short, which is a multi-dimensional moving collage instead of a straight-forward drama. I wish McKay had taught my history class. I learned so much more about the happening of our government watching The Big Short and now Vice than during my 16 years of schooling. I credit this to McKay’s unmatched way of using humor and unconventional film techniques- like running credits halfway through the film as a “gotcha” moment or breaking into a Shakespearean soliloquy- to shake up the narrative. Speaking of which, Jesse Plemons acts as the film’s narrator and further explains important plot points with the help of info-graphics (his mysterious relationship to Cheney is explained later).
An eye-opening look at the smooth-talking, self-confident former VP
For a political film, Vice isn’t pushing an agenda too hard one way or the other. Some facts can’t be disputed, like the incredibly thin margin of 537 votes that tipped Bush and Cheney into the White House. Others may ruffle some right-wing feathers, like George W. Bush getting sloppy drunk and breaking a glass at a White House holiday party. There is, however, no denying the uncanny control Cheney was able to obtain through smooth-talking and self-confidence. From being the youngest chief of staff in history to essentially controlling the United States of America, Vice shows that Cheney’s quest for power was silent… and deadly.
‘Vice’ is rated R for language and some violent images. 132 minutes. Opening everywhere this Christmas.
