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Features: DVD, Dolby, Digital Audio, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
When the truth becomes a weapon, power comes at a stunning price, Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater deliver electrifying performances in this controversial, suspenseful and critically-acclaimed thriller that Ebert & Roeper and The Movies call “exciting and unusually intelligent…two very enthusiastic thumbs up!” sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.
"Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!" Ebert & Roeper And The Movies
"...a landslide winner!" Houston Chronicle
"A first-rate thriller!" George Magazine
"...politically savvy movie of ideas and conflicting moralities..." Los Angeles Daily News
Editor's Note
In THE CONTENDER, the sudden death of the vice president of the United States forces U.S. president Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) to pick a replacement. He decides against picking the popular governor of Virginia, Jack Hathaway (William Petersen), and instead makes the radical choice of Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) to become the nation's first female veep. Governor Hathaway's political friends include Shelly Runyon (Gary Oldman), a powerful congressman who will oversee Hanson's confirmation. Runyon digs into Hanson's personal life and finds evidence that in college, Hanson participated in an alcohol-fueled orgy as part of a sorority initiation. When faced with this scandal, Hanson refuses to respond to the attacks, causing a political crisis leading to further shocking revelations.Former film critic Rod Lurie's second film (after the thriller DETERRENCE) is a tense potboiler with issues ripped from modern headlines, including the nature of political ideals and the national curiosity with leaders' sex lives. Joan Allen gives another in a long line of stunning performances as the tough, idealistic Laine Hanson, who stands up for what she believes in no matter what the cost. THE CONTENDER also features strong supporting performances from Bridges and Oldman, as well as a realistic look at the high-pressure game of insider politics.
| Features | English (Dolby Digital 5.1) | | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround) | | Deleted Scenes | | Widescreen Anamorphic Format | | "HBO First Look" Making Of Featurette | | Commentary by Director Rod Lurie and Actress Joan Allen | | Production Notes | | Theatrical Trailers |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Dreamworks (Universal) |
| Release Date: 1/6/2004 |
| Running Time: 127 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2000 | | Catalog ID: 87809 | | UPC: 00667068780925 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (2001) | | | Joan Allen, Nominee, Best Actress | | | Jeff Bridges, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor | |
Golden Globe (2001) | | | Jeff Bridges, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture | | | Joan Allen, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture-Drama | |
Independent Spirit (2001) | | | Joan Allen, Nominee, Best Female Lead | | | Gary Oldman, Nominee, Best Supporting Male |
| Memorable Quotes| "You're the future of the Democratic party. And you always will be."----President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges), telling Jack Hathaway (William Petersen) he won't be chosen as the new vice president | | "I just can't respond to the accusations because it's not okay for them to be made." ----Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) | | "What I say the American people will believe, and you know why? Because I'll have a very big microphone in front of me."----Shelly Runyon (Gary Oldman) to Laine Hanson |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"....[Ms. Allen's performance] is an exquisitely subtle study of a strong, high-principled woman pushed to the breaking point....Mr. Oldman cloaks [his] character in an aura of deep sadness..." 10/13/2000 p.E12USA Today
"...Compelling and provocative..." 10/13/2000 p.6E Entertainment Weekly
"...Allen brings sexual juice to the role..." 10/27/2000 p.91 Rolling Stone
"...[Lurie] pumps honest energy into it....Played with fiery verve by Joan Allen..." 11/09/2000 p.137-8 Total Film
"...Lurie keeps the proceedings brisk and accessible....Allen is nothing less than persuasive...The supporting players are just as impressive..." 05/01/2001 p.92 Los Angeles Times
"...Oldman does a remarkable job with the role....Allen, without doubt as fine an actress as is working today, makes the difficult role of a woman who cannot reveal her increasingly intense feeling in public look natural, seamless and completely convincing..." 10/13/2000 p.C2 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Joan Allen is at the center of THE CONTENDER in one of the strongest performances of the year....This is one of those rare movies where you leave the theater having been surprised and entertained..." 10/13/2000 p.33 New York Times 8 of 10
... What lifts [the film] above the mundane are its performances, especially those of Mr. Oldman and Ms. Allen. Her portrait of this besieged nominee is an exquisitely subtle study of a strong, high-principled woman pushed to the breaking point. Ms. Allen, to her credit, ultimately resists turning Hanson into a heart-hugging martyr. It is a performance that transcends the material. Mr. Oldman's unscrupulous congressman is almost as finely shaded. - Stephen Holden
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
...This is one of those rare movies where you leave the theater having been surprised and entertained, and then start arguing. The Contender takes sides and is bold about it. - Roger Ebert
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