Fresh
Silly as it is, The Contender has a lurid zest that keeps you hooked, and a rambunctiously good cast.
David Ansen, Newsweek
The Contender
Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.
2000 · 2h 6m · R
Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Rod Lurie
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The Contender
Overview
The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. When Senator Laine Hanson is nominated as the first woman in history to hold the office, hidden agendas explode into a battle for power.
Director and cast
- Rod Lurie Director
- Joan Allen as Laine Hanson
- Gary Oldman as Shelly Runyon
- Jeff Bridges as President Jackson Evans
- Christian Slater as Reginald Webster
- Sam Elliott as Kermit Newman
- William L. Petersen as Jack Hathaway
- Saul Rubinek as Jerry Tolliver
- Philip Baker Hall as Oscar Billings
- Robin Thomas as William Hanson
- Kathryn Morris as Paige Willomina
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
76%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Streetsmart and savvy.
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News
Fresh
What The Contender lacks in sophistication and subtlety, it more than makes up for with sheer verve and chutzpah.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
Fresh
The film's lively twists are not too difficult to see coming down the road, but the proceedings still hold our attention and keep us wanting to know how it's going to turn out.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Fresh
An entertaining ringside seat for backroom wannabes and beltway junkies.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
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