VICE is the story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and how a man with his humble beginnings was able to rise through the ranks and become one of the most powerful and influential people in the entire world. From director Adam McKay (The Big Short), VICE chronicles as accurately as possible how Cheney worked his way through a U.S. Congressional internship program to build political capital, on to bigger and better things. His path ultimately culminated with him selected to serve as George W. Bush’s (Sam Rockwell’s) running mate for the 2000 presidential election.
What works in VICE is the ensemble and the storytelling mechanics. To start, Bale once again puts in a truly transformative performance as Cheney, starting out with a meek, malleable person who slowly hardens into a ruthless and cunning individual. Bale is simply astounding and disappears into the role so completely that one forgets that there’s an entirely different person under the makeup and prosthetics. But Bale is further elevated by an incredible supporting team, all of whom get several moments to display complexity and depth as it relates to their real-life counterparts. Of particular note are Lynn Cheney (Amy Adams), Dick’s wife and his unseen motivational and strategic core, and Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), Cheney’s mentor who helps craft the ideology and political philosophies that would eventually have long-range ramifications.
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With The Big Short, McKay found a way to translate a complex and intricate subject (the most recent housing market crash) into an engaging and entertaining film. With VICE , McKay’s mastery and ingenuity of conveyance is once again front and center, albeit in new and humorous ways. While the subject matter being covered is very serious, McKay consistently finds ways to make audiences laugh out loud through both subtle and overt means. McKay is very much aware that he’s made a film, and the expectation with his films is a certain level of self-awareness as a means to entertain. As such, VICE contains highly amusing techniques that allow for a bit levity among the dire proceedings, or perhaps more simply, McKay has found clever ways to make a somewhat cringe-worthy historical lesson fun to sit through.
While VICE boasts an incredible cast and creative methods, there are many who will find the portrayal rather polarizing. While McKay offers as close to a transparent window into Cheney’s life, he himself admits as a filmmaker he had to impute some elements given how notoriously secretive the former vice president remains. Those with certain political ideologies will undoubtedly find the lens McKay uses to present facts heavily tinted with subjective bias. There are likely audience members who might prefer something more akin to a documentary which would undoubtedly be slightly more balanced and objective.
For those who have a fascination with political history, and especially the notion of how big decisions can come from small groups, VICE is incredibly engaging. Furthermore, VICE assembles one of the best casts of 2018 and watching them execute upon a sharply crafted script is highly entertaining.
Grade: A
Recommended if you enjoyed: The Big Short, W., Recount, Game Change
Probable Academy Award Nominations:
- Best Actor in a Lead Role: Christian Bale
- Best Hair and Makeup
Possible Academy Award Nominations:
- Best Picture
- Best Director: Adam McKay
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams
- Best Original Screenplay