The Contender

"Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot."

2000 2h 6m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

76%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 275🍅76%Rotten Tomatoes●59Metacritic★6.9IMDB · 25,569

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Joan Allen
Laine Hanson
Gary Oldman
Shelly Runyon
Jeff Bridges
President Jackson Evans
Christian Slater
Reginald Webster
Sam Elliott
Kermit Newman
William L. Petersen
Jack Hathaway
Saul Rubinek
Jerry Tolliver
Philip Baker Hall
Oscar Billings

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rod Lurie
Writers: Rod Lurie
Languages: German, English
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rod Lurie, shot by Denis Maloney. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Larry Groupé. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Jablow shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Joan Allen and Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rod Lurie directs. Denis Maloney behind the camera. Larry Groupé scores. Michael Jablow cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

126 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Rod Lurie, shot by Denis Maloney. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Larry Groupé. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Michael Jablow shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Joan Allen and Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.".
9IMDB entry: tt0208874 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Denis Maloney
Original score: Larry Groupé
Editing: Michael Jablow
Production design: Alec Hammond
Costume design: Matthew Jacobsen
Stunt coordinator: Loyd Catlett
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $22,428,990
Return: 112% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Contender (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 59/100
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 25,569 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 1 win & 22 nominations total

Also by

Rod Lurie

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-08-28
★ 6/10
Joan Allen is an American senator who is nominated to replace a recently deceased Vice-President by Jeff Bridges ("President Evans"). Once her confirmation hearing begins, she finds her rather interesting private life under the scrutiny of hostile committee chairman Gary Oldman who is determined to expose every aspect of her life - past and present - to the public. Oscar-nominated Allen is good as the feisty, intelligent, senator but the rest of this is all rather lacklustre and frequently overly contrived, with plenty of dramatic events designed to enhance the plot rather then create any sense of plausibility. Against the backdrop of the Clinton impeachment trial, the film had a certain resonance and it certainly does not show the constitutional processes, nor the male-dominated American establishment's approach to women, in a good light, but the older it gets, the less that causal impact it has and is now little better than a run-of-the-mill political drama that struggles to distinguish itself.

Production companies