Adam McKay’s latest film follows the life of Dick Cheney, who became the most powerful Vice President in American history during the George W Bush presidency.
Much like McKay’s previous project, The Big Short, this film adopts a very unique, witty style of comedy which at times is genius and had me laughing out loud. This film has polarized opinion, but I found it to be a very effective political satire which manages to deliver some very hard-hitting moments that really highlight how corrupt and unjust some of the acts made during the Bush presidency really were. I won’t pretend to be an expert on American politics, so I’m not in the greatest place to comment on the accuracy of how Cheney is depicted, at times it does appear that the film is blatantly attacking him, but it is hard to argue against that if Vice really is as accurate as it appears, but even the moments that are clearly done for pure dramatic effect work well and didn’t bother me at all, in part, thanks to the fact I was completely captivated by the performances on show…
Christian Bale is incredible. His transformation into Dick Cheney is incredible and there were often times that I completely forgot it was Bale under the make-up, because his performance is so captivating, it’s worth the cost of admission alone and Bale definitely deserves his Best Actor nomination for this role. Vice boasts an incredible supporting cast including Amy Adams, Steve Carrell and Sam Rockwell, who all do an amazing job.
Vice clocks in at 133 minutes, but thankfully it doesn’t drag and is paced quite well. I do think there may have been one or two opportunities to streamline in places but this is just a minor criticism. I was so engrossed in the story that I could have happily kept watching, but I can appreciate that some viewers may find it to drag slightly.
There’s no beating around the bush, Vice is understandably rife with political messages (and some potential bias) which may not be to some people’s liking, hence the mixed reception. However, I think if you can sit back and appreciate what is on offer, and accept the film for what it is, you’ll love it just as much as I did. It’s got the perfect blend of comedy and seriousness, and you’ll probably leave the cinema educated, perhaps outraged, perhaps a mixture of both. It’s going to get some form of emotion out of you whether you like it or not, but you’ll also be thoroughly entertained on the journey there.
I would gladly watch Vice again, and I look forward to doing so.
I give Vice an 8/10.
Wado Reviews 