Adam Mackay’s “Vice” is a good film. The casting was great. The acting justifies the casting. The storytelling formula seemed new and surprising. However, it does give way too many surprises, for being a satiric biopic on Dick Cheney. Let us see how.
The majority of the film’s merits lie in the casting and the acting. Christian Bale, as dedicated as Daniel Day Lewis to the portrayal of his characters, gained a noticeable amount of weight to accurately depict Cheney’s physique.
Furthermore, Bale’s acting also displays its usual sharpness. He delivers his dialogues in a quiet manner and his gait shouts quiet-Wyoming-fishing values, characteristic of the real Cheney. All in all, Bale’s performance is certainly worthy of full marks.
Amy Adams is also perfect in the role of Lynn Cheney, while Steve Carrell’s signature wit gives the audience moments of welcome respite in a film as serious as “Vice.”
However, in terms of acting, the show was truly stolen by Sam Rockwell, who played the role of George W Bush. While there was not quite enough to make the actor look like the former US president, Rockwell’s delivery of dialogues from Bush’s tenure in the White House more than made up for it. His nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the 2019 Oscars is well deserved, in my opinion.
Sam Rockwell stole the show with his portrayal of George W Bush, and have earned nomination at Oscar 2019 for Best Supporting Actor | IMDB
After the film’s second and final credits began to roll, I had this sinking feeling that “Vice” succeeded in making its point, but some of its over the top antiques in storytelling may cue lower votes for Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars. Let us look closely at those “over the top bits.”
The first set of mock end credits, to indicate the first half of the film is over, is welcome, as it is something new and not usually seen in a film. Whether others would take to it as kindly as I have is debatable.
The first real shock was when in one scene where Bale and Adams both start speaking to each other in Sheakespearean language, to indicate that nobody knows what they discussed at that point of history. It was a quip at William Shakespeare as well, but the scene was so long it stopped being a satire, and became more of an over extended joke.
Then, there is the character of Kurt. The entire film is narrated by Kurt, who does not reveal his relation to Dick Cheney at the beginning of the film, in a very suggestive “premonitory” way. At a later point, Kurt is seen as a veteran of both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which tempts viewers into think that he is an allegory of all the innocent US soldiers, who lost their lives due to Cheney’s wanton use of executive power.
When Kurt’s identity is finally revealed, the abruptness of the reveal, of his connection with Cheney, appears to insinuate Cheney as someone who orders murder on his behalf. While political satire may exaggerate incidents to drive home a point, this part seems lacking in subtlety.
I personally feel the film will get criticism for two specific reasons. Number one is the many videos of torture, death and destruction, interspersed within the film. I believe those bits were kept to emphasize the folly of electing Bush and Cheney in the highest positions of the government in US. In the last quarter of the film, the graphic bits seem gratuitous, as they are shown so frequently.
Secondly, the entire film is punctuated with mock arguments between ignorant common people, and apathy of uninformed young people. This may lead to the perception, that all Americans are as evil as the foreign policy of Dick Cheney. A political satire such as “Vice,” has no right to shift the questioning from few politicians to an entire nation of people, in which many are still good.
“Vice” may win or may not win the Best Picture award, but its makers will surely hear many quips about the film being too similar to Michael Moore’s signature style of storytelling. Also, when Bale, as Cheney, breaks the fourth wall to deliver a monologue on how unapologetic he is for trying to protect American people, everybody will shout “House of Cards.”