User reviews

It puts "Hereditary" to shame. However, I disagree with critics' assertions that director McKay set out to make Cheney seem like a complete monster. He often humanized him, and there were a couple of moments when a few of the members of my audience got somewhat emotional. If you had asked them before the movie if they were going to shed a tear while they watched it, they probably would have replied, "HELL NO." Also, whereas I would state firmly that there was ZERO link to anything that involved 9/11 and Iraq, McKay provides a very tenuous, dubious possible link to him-- which later completely boomerangs into Cheney's face.

To put it bluntly, it was the worst administration of all time, and as the film states early, I think that many Americans have either forgotten it or never really paid attention to it completely. When Democrats describe their worst fears of possible Trump disasters, I don't think that they know that they are describing things that *actually occurred* during the first decade of this century. When Bale as Cheney looks directly into the camera and delivers a monologue-- or postmortem-- about his tenure as vice president, it might remind you of Emperor Palpatine's rationalizations in the Star Wars prequels. As the film shows, at the time there were justifications for unitary executive privilege that were written by a single moron and apparently regarded as gospel-- and can be used as precedent by future presidents. And I probably don't need to remind you about the most unjustified, wasteful, moronic and disastrous war in American history, which he strongly advocated and for which the entire world is continuing to pay a heavy toll. This film is actually important.

Finally, Bale is my choice for best lead actor of 2018. It was a tour de force performance.

If this film has any slight problems for me, I didn't like some of its artistic license. Sometimes I wanted it to be more straightforward. But it's a must watch.

With the making of Vice Richard Cheney of Wyoming reached a status that no one else has in American history. Who else who only made it to the office of Vice President managed to have a movie made about them. The only other one was Aaron Burr.

There's not much about Dick Cheney that I had not already known. The story of a hell raising kid from Wyoming who rose to be among the movers and shakers of our country might be considered an American success story. If he had only used his talents for the creation of a little good in the world I might be more favorably disposed.

As a Vice President Cheney is also unique in truly becoming an assistant President and actually making policy. In our history the only other one like that who comes to mind is Martin Van Buren who Andrew Jackson's Vice President in Jackson's second term.

The real surprise in this was Amy Adams who played Lynne Chaney. I never knew that much about her and she has a really great scene where kickstarts her drunken boyfriend Cheney basically saying shape up and make something of yourself in this world that men run. Fascinating the response here. Lynne Chaney says work the system, someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the same situation makes up her mind to change things. Amy Adams got a Best Supporting Actor nomination as did Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor.

Still Vice is driven by the Best Actor nominee Christian Bale and his portrayal of Richard Cheney. It's a many sided portrayal and Cheney does not come out all bad. For instance he's shown as being supportive of his lesbian daughter Mary Cheney. Qualify that by saying he also realizes among the crowd he seeks to court for votes having an out lesbian daughter isn't going make him friends. Lynne Chaney realizes that even more.

Bale got an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and the film was up for Best Picture and several other awards. It only won in the Makeup category.

Most interesting role was that of Jesse Plemons, an every man sort of character who narrates the film and has a unique relationship with Richard Cheney. You find out if you watch the movie.

An interesting look at some of our recent American past through the eyes of a consummate insider.

Saw 'Vice' for quite a few reasons. The subject was fascinating as is Dick Cheney himself. That it was positively reviewed, well mostly, and got the awards attention it did (yes, have always taken the big awards more seriously than others because while there have been questionable wins and even nominations in every category every year there are just as many that are richly deserved), showed a lot of promise.

Also really liked 2015's 'The Big Short', another positively reviewed Adam McKay film, and what was especially good in that film also came over to me as particularly good here in 'Vice'. My main reason though, and this seems to be true of a lot of films seen recently (both those released this year and first time viewings for all years), was the cast. Hard to go wrong with Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell and Steve Carrell (who is good and more with good material).

While full potential is not fully achieved and it is a bit uneven and messy, a larger part of me really enjoyed 'Vice', which did impress me with its ambition and invention. It is a film that will hugely entertain a good number while challenging others, and will be and is even a polarising experience more than understandably. As said it is a long way from perfect and between this and 'The Big Short' the latter is the better film. Am going to agree with those that criticised the editing, which does go too over the top on the intended quirkiness and like it was trying too hard to be inventive and it comes over as choppy instead.

The story execution, while mostly compelling, does suffer zig zagging to and fro too much, which gave it an unfocused feel that didn't always make the film feel cohesive. So it did come over as a bit rushed and muddled at times, and it definitely could have benefitted from trying to do less and not go over the top on the details. Was a little mixed on the narration, it has a lot of clever moments (and was not expecting the twist regarding it) but there were times where it wasn't necessary and intruded a bit.

'Vice' however has a lot that is good. Although there were reservations with the editing, there was some quite audacious photography that succeeds better at being inventive and the production/locations and costuming show great care in making the time and place clear. The best thing though visually was the makeup for Cheney, which was a masterstroke and rendered Bale unrecognisable. The film is tightly directed by McKay and the music is a beautiful mix of melancholic and uplifting. While the story is not flawless by any stretch, it is still very compelling even when more deliberate than 'The Big Short' and told with great gusto. It is a tough and very relevant subject, handled in a way that hits hard. Two things are especially good in 'Vice' though.

One is the script, which is often darkly hilarious, unsettling in its frank truth, very informative even though the amount told to us is vast and bleakly tragic. The other is the cast, with all the actors on point and make their characters well rounded (the negative portrayal of Cheney though is polarising, his family objected to it, and some may find it on the biased side, but to me he avoids caricature). Bale is magnificent, one of his best performances this decade and it shocked me seeing him this cold and menacing. Adams is just as powerful a presence and their chemistry is eerily twisted. Rockwell is always great and Carrell is fun to watch while never resorting to silliness. Tyler Perry shows too that his performance in 'Gone Girl', a brilliant film and he was surprisingly good in it, wasn't a fluke in an another relatively against type role.

In a nutshell, good but not great. 7/10

This is one of the best films I've seen this year & left the theatre with the same feelings toward the political system as I did after BlacKkKlansmen (2018) & Sorry To Bother You (2018). A pseudo-documentary/dramedy biopic that tells the story of Cheney's political career while skewering the Republican Party & Washington DC politics in general, from the Nixon administration to today. It brings to light how politicians will sell-out everything in the pursuit for power, just how much sway one person can hold in politics, how media was forever changed under the Bush administration, & how all of this is still effecting us today. It's a film that has as many laughs as it does moments of bitter truth, many of them bleeding into each other. Again putting his body through a drastic change for a role, Christian Bale is absolutely incredible as Dick Cheney with his mannerism & glare down perfectly. I'm just as impressed with Amy Adams, Steve Carell, & Sam Rockwell. The editing is fantastic & the narrator was an interesting touch, especially once it's revealed who he is in relation to Cheney. And the mid-credits scene perfectly expresses what the reactions to this film will be.

Political satire with superb acting, especially Christian Bale and Amy Adams who each put forth one their best performances, and have earned consideration as one of "Hollywood's" greatest acting duos (previously teamed together in 'The Guardian' and David O. Russell's masterpiece 'American Hustle').

Factual aspects are suspect throughout, but the purpose of this film was entertainment, and in that respect, this is engaging and engrossing.

Just take the details of events with a grain of salt. I know a couple of the individuals spotlighted well, and have met almost all of them via notable political family member. It makes for good drama and humor, but a lot of bs is added that is flat out inaccurate and/or applies twisting of events towards misrepresentative. It relies heavily upon "Confirmation Bias" to achieve some level of audience buy-in; the favorite manipulative tool of today's media in all forms.

That being stated, this is great entertainment and utilizes brilliant filmmaking techniques that magnify the satirical-fun objectives of the film.

More evidence Christian Bale is one of the most skilled actors on the planet, and the Bale/Adams pairing sealed as a legendary success formula. All the actors scored, as did the direction, photography, editing, and screenwriting.

Great entertainment for certain.

In 2008, Italian director Paolo Sorrentino made a film about a, then, still living sinister political figure Giuliano Andreotti. The ferociousness of the portrait was acceptable to the public at large because it was presented as a stylish, slightly surreal comedy. Adam McKay sets VICE in a more realistic universe but the results are just as pungent, disturbing and funny. Christian Bale is spookily perfect. And Amy Adams is a modern day Lady Macbeth of major proportions. The most unsettling part of the whole experience, because Vice is an experience, is the knowledge that this are the people chosen by the people. The fact that countries have the governments they deserve gives me a chill in 2018. A remarkable film with remarkable performances. Bravo.

Whether it's entirely fact-based or not, I can't deny how engrossed I was by its unique and interesting style. The film starts out very strong and compelling, but the screenplay is bit choppy and doesn't stick the landing. While some events are brushed over, others are brilliant and enjoyable enough to make the film an overall worthwhile experience. The performances are truly great and Christian Bale is an absolute powerhouse with such a commanding presence. This is a film with purpose, no matter how unsubtle of a gut-punch it may intend to deliver.

As Adam McKay's follow-up to The Big Short (one of my favorite films of 2015) he is back with another dark satirical comedy.

Just like in The Big Short, the amount of information McKay throws at you is a little overwhelming, especially if you don't fully understand it. It is a little slower paced of a movie, but the way he frames every scene has such gusto that you can't take your eyes off the screen.

Other than the brilliant script the main thing to note in this movie is the perfect casting. Christian Bale and Amy Adams teaming up again, this time as Dick and Lynne Cheney further prove they should team up in every movie together. Christian Bale is so believable as Dick Cheney that you suddenly forget that you are even watching Bale at all. Then you have Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, Naomi Watts, Lily Rabe, Jesse Plemons (in a role that I did NOT see coming), and plenty more.

There is a fantastic scene between Lynne and Dick where Plemons' character narrating notes - that we wouldn't know what they actually would have said in this certain moment, but he images it would be something quite Shakespearian. Then Lynne and Dick start talking like they are in Macbeth. Their chemistry is just fantastic and you get to see how much Lynne stepped up, and her ambitions and reservations with going into this political world.

As much as this movie paints Cheney as a villain, McKay still gave him depth and compassionate moments, and showing all of his health troubles. You really see how this man became the most powerful VP that we have ever had in the history of the U.S. Presidency and how scary that is because it is all true. We have lived it.

This movie is definitely not for everyone but I really enjoyed it. There is a funny after credits scene that shows how divided our country is, and the quote above is exactly what you should be asking yourself at the end of the movie. So, what do we believe?

While the performances all are noteworthy, the rest of Vice is an odd mishmash of one-sided politics and bizarre gimmicks. It's an entertaining watch, that's for sure. However, McKay tries too hard to replicate the success he had with the superior Big Short in 2015. The unique filming style he employs here worked a lot better with his prior film. What exactly was the point he was trying to make with this film? That he considers Dick Cheney to be an irredeemable Satan-like figure? Okay I guess, but that doesn't make the most compelling film.

... President or a character trait? There is a reason they chose that title. Well that's me assuming of course, but you can see it too. What I didn't see, at least until I watched the movie, was Dick Cheney. This shines a very interesting light on a figure who had way more influence than many people knew at the time and maybe still are not aware of.

And take Bale now - you might already be aware that he takes his acting seriously. Now with added makeup this goes even further. No wonder this won an Oscar (I don't think anyone bet against that) in that department. Sam Rockwell almost gets drowned/forgotten about in all this. And his George H.W. Bush Jr. is as good as Bale Cheney is. So while we can and probably will be stunned by the performances and how close they are to the real thing, the movie itself is gripping too. So it's not just a gimmick...this really is good

Christian Bale delivers a remarkable performance worthy of the hype and the Oscar (sadly, he did not win). The acting is great across the board. Rockwell might be the second best in film, while Steve Carell and Amy Adams were similarly excellent.

Director Adam McKay holds this movie back from being great. He lays on the metaphors with the thickness of grandma's lasagna. And much like when eating the lasagna, a little goes a long way. Unfortunately, McKay feeds us an unneeded second helping. And a third.

That's not to say Mckay did a terrible job directing this movie. He didn't. Most of the film has a strong, resonant message wrapped in an entertaining and hilarious packaging. Much like in "The Big Short," McKay cleverly communicates complicated material in a way that's easy for any viewer to understand. And this is all accomplished without being condescending, except for when it is.

McKay doesn't put enough trust in viewers to comprehend what he's saying. The cutaways to literal representations of hunting and fishing feel a bit insulting and clunky. They're unnecessary. Christian Bale is masterful chef. Just keep the camera on him and let him cook.

For the most part, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable, largely because of the way it sheds light on the ridiculousness of the events unfolding. It's a funny movie at times because it's so appalling. Other times it's too appalling to be funny.

Critics may point out that the story is not a bi-partisan take. To be clear: it's not and it's not trying to be. McKay is disgusted by what Dick Cheney and other political figures did, and he makes his feelings painfully clear. This approach leads to some of the movie's most fascinating moments but also led to its partial undoing. If McKay had just been willing to trust that moviegoers would understand his message if presented it with a touch more subtlety (they would have) this would be a smarter and more ultimately more widely praised film.

The acting was amazing. I'll give you that. The contents made me feel uncomfortable with how liberally slanted it was, and I'm a liberal.

I can't say anything that's already been said. Christian Bale is phenomenal as always, continuing to prove that he may be the best actor working today (props for not using a fat suit GARY OLDMAN). Adam McKay thinks we are all idiots and thinks he's a genius. I think this type of humor and edge paid off in The Big Short but it felt wrong in a film that emphasized Cheney's influence on the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The post credit scene has gotta be the worst one in history, it's not funny and it made it even clearer that McKay thinks so lowly of his audience. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carrell, Sam Rockwell, Naomi Watts(!) how do you assemble such an outstanding crew of actors and fail to blow away your audience?

We find the same sense of disillusioned humor as in the excellent The Big Short: the US are obviously the country of all the opportunities, even (especially ?) if you are unscrupulous and ruthlessly ambitious. The trio Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell is awesome !

Adam McKay is in the midst of a career reinvigoration. Will Ferrell couldn't be further from the deadly serious satire of his newest effort Vice, a biopic charting the rise of Dick Cheney, attempting to account for the stupendous amount of power he managed to secure through shrewd. cloak and dagger bureaucratic tactics. To play the portly and grunting Cheney, McKay has enlisted Christian Bale, who once again proves his deftness at changing his body for a role, here sporting a formidable gut. Bale is occasionally arresting as Cheney, his reserved head sways and deep throaty voice exuding a subtle magnetism that spearheads the tale, especially in a memorable fourth wall breaking scene towards the close of the film wherein he assures the audience of his moral integrity. The other main players are competent, as you'd expect from Oscar bait fare of this nature, but barely approach the degree of nuance Bale commands- Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney though proficient in her portrayal can feel slightly one note (which is more a reflection of a script which doesn't afford her very complex characterisation. Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell as Donald Rumsfeld and George W Bush, while entertaining and occasionally amusing, see the potential of great character actors somewhat squandered in favour of caricature. This brings us to the main issue with Vice - a clumsy sense of brio with regards to tone and structure. McKay's feature is almost never boring, but no one would accuse it of subtlety or discipline, especially in comparison to McKay's far superior preceding effort The Big Short. Vice shares that film's kinetic, non-sequitur laden editing style, but is far less complimentary with the narrative at the film's core in Vice's case. The Big Short boasted an immediacy that Vice's decade spanning story can't hope to recreate, and by consequence, the insertion of absurdist humour and archival footage can compromise the actual narrative and render the film more than a little indulgent. It also seems slightly hypocritical; McKay's enthusiastic and hyperactive style is at odds with Vice's "cradle to grave" seemingly conventional biopic structure. While McKay swinging for the fences is occasionally chuckle inducing (the use of narrator in the film is inspired even if it feels laboured at times, and a scene in which the Cheneys recite Shakespearean soliloquys is deserving of recognition) it ultimately leaves Vice feeling far more scattershot and less nourishing as a narrative. Even so, Bale's entertaining performance and McKay's sardonic and gleefully nihilistic energy behind the camera ensures Vice is at the very least constantly diverting and unpredictable.

I was able to see this at an advanced screening. What got me excited to go see Vice, along with the stellar trailer, was Adam McKay's involvement as the writer/director. His work on the Big Short was amazing and he's shown a lot of growth as a filmmaker. This was a big subject and with his ability to explain complicated issues, I was sure I was in for something memorable. I left the theatre impressed with the fact that he was able to replicate his style in Vice. He has the unique explanations and jokes down pat and while I wanted even more, the movie kept me entertained throughout with lots of laughs and some gripping drama.

With McKay being a famous democrat supporter, do you think he was a big fan of Dick Cheney (played here by Christian Bale)? The movie is definitely of the mind that he's a manipulative force that cares little for humanitarian solutions to terrible problems throughout the world as opposed to a patriotic visionary. But despite that, I was shocked that the movie tried to give Cheney some humanity through his interactions with his daughter Mary (Alison Pill). He also has a couple of tender moments with his wife Lynne (Amy Adams). I read interviews that McKay did where the question was if his movie about Cheney would be poorly received by both sides of the American political aisle. Is it too harsh for conservatives but too light for liberals? I think this is accurate, Cheney is sculpted throughout the movie he starts out as a dolt but slowly grows into his role and develops fangs of his own. It may be too middle ground for some, but I thought they played it almost right. Cheney's ending monologue shows how he really feels about his legacy (its right out of the House of Cards playbook and it was the best moment of the movie for me) but I'll credit McKay for holding back a little bit as opposed to going for the jugular.

If the subject matter doesn't immediately catch your eye, maybe the star-studded cast will. Christian Bale stars as our protagonist Dick Cheney, he's a total chameleon and I honestly forgot I was watching someone performing as Dick Cheney. The awards and accolades he's going to get for this are well deserved. The supporting cast are equally up to the task, Amy Adams does a wonderful job as Lynne. She's a veteran and she is owed just as much credit as her male co-stars for taking what could be a forgettable part and doing a lot with it. I thought Sam Rockwell did a more understated job as George W. Bush than I expected. He plays up Bush's confusion and ignorance, but his portrayal isn't as malicious, and I think he was great. Steve Carell has turned into an elite dramatic actor, he gets the job done here, I think he has the least amount of meat to his part but he's solid. There were lots of recognizable faces in cameo and brief supporting parts, some of my favourites were Jesse Plemons, Alfred Molina, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Naomi Watts and Don McManus.

I'm happy to keep showering this movie with praise but I also didn't completely fall in love with it. The first third to half of the movie can drag, it contains a lot of pertinent information about Dick and Lynne Cheney and while there are moments, there were stretches where I was waiting for it to pick up the pace. Vice has the wild sense of style that I wanted from it, with the cutaways for jokes and visual representations and they brought the laughs. I just wanted more of that in Vice. The trailer for this movie portrays Vice as a straight comedy, this movie also packs a lot of drama (its more dramatic than McKay's previous work the Big Short) and its deeply affecting. But while there are some small concessions to the Cheney family (more than I expected them to) the direction of the slant on Cheney's story is decidedly one way. I went to this advance screening with a conservative friend and it wasn't his cup of tea.

I love the direction that McKay's work is going, I still prefer the Big Short to Vice because it was more comedy than drama and it was such a fresh take on a complicated subject. While he also does a decent job of explaining the intricacies of Cheney's backroom dealings, he never loses sight of the point he's trying to make. Cheney's reign as VP led not only the USA but the free world in the direction we now find ourselves currently sitting in. This is another movie that knows who their audience is and disregards the rest, if you're conservative or a republican voter, don't expect different than what you see in the trailer. This isn't a heroic tale of Cheney, his family or his colleagues and while I was surprised that they gave Cheney some humanity, he's the villain of the piece for sure. I really enjoyed this but I'm firmly at an 8.5/10 and I must round up to a 9/10. If you're in the target demographic for the movie, are interested in seeing a funny but informative look about the George W. Bush administration or want to see what should be a big contender come awards season, Vice is definitely worth showing up to the theatre to see.

This was very well done, very similar to the Big Short. Looking at the actions of a republican, there were many moments where the liberal agenda was noticeable and makes you second guess if what happened was even remotely close to what they showed.

This film is held together by some truly outstanding performances (Bale and Adams, in particular). It will no doubt be compared to writer/director Adam McKay's film adaptation of The Big Short. But while that story covered just a couple years, Vice spans nearly 4 decades, significantly more difficult to fit into a 2 hour film.

McKay's use of a narrating character is sometimes helpful in providing context and continuity, though I think it worked better in The Big Short.

As a bio-pic, Vice does a good job of capturing Cheney's drive for power and his devotion to his family. Complicated people are generally difficult to depict in film, but McKay and the team he assembled gave it an effort worthy of some awards.

I found some of the editing a bit quirky to the point of distraction, but I definitely recommend seeing it. Be sure and stay to the end.

Ostensibly a biopic of former Vice President Dick Cheney, Adam McKay's Vice argues that he was actually the de facto President, with George W. Bush taking a back seat, particularly in the globally crucial years from 2001-2003. Very much a political satire in the vein of Juvenal and Jonathan Swift, or films such as Wag the Dog (1997) and The Second Civil War (1997), Vice eschews conventional narrative structure, breaks the fourth wall regularly, intercuts shots of fly-fishing and animals hunting into the middle of tense plot-heavy dialogue scenes, features several self-reflexive references to itself, has a false ending, and has a scene in which characters speak in iambic pentameter. Much as was the case with recent "based on a true story" films such as BlacKkKlansman (2018) and The Front Runner (2018), Vice has one eye on the here and now, using Cheney's story as a vehicle to examine the current political situation in the US, positing that without the power-mad Dick Cheney and the Unitary Executive Theory, there would never have been a Donald Trump. However, although there are many individual moments of brilliance, the film is unsure if it's a straightforward biopic or an excoriating satire, ultimately finding a kind of ideological middle ground that mixes comedy with pathos, not always successfully.

Narrated by Kurt (Jesse Plemons), a fictitious veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, who claims to have a unique connection to Cheney, the film begins in Wyoming in 1963 as a young Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) is arrested for drunk driving for the second time. It then cuts to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, as Cheney orders the shooting down of any suspicious commercial airliners, despite Bush (who was en route to Washington from Florida) not signing off on such an order. How Cheney got from being a drunk in 1963 to taking control of the government in 2001 is the film's primary focus. Much as in BlacKkKlansman, Vice concludes with a haunting montage that brings the story up to date, showing some of the long-term effects of the Bush-Cheney years (instability in the Middle East, irreparable damage to the environment, the rise of IS).

Vice presents Cheney as devoid of ideology, with a Zelig-esque ability to alter his manner so as to best deal with whomever it is in whose company he finds himself. In this sense, his political ambition is portrayed as cynical and mercenary; McKay's Cheney has no interest in attaining power so as to influence policy or stimulate ideological change, he is obsessed only with power-for-power's sake. One of the most telling scenes in the film happens quite early when he learns that Nixon and Kissinger are planning to bomb Cambodia without going through Congress. Asking Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), "what do we believe?", he is met by Rumsfeld laughing hysterically at being asked such a ridiculous question.

Nowhere is his character shown as more ruthless and power-hungry than in a scene towards the end of the film. With his daughter, Liz (Lily Rabe), running for the Senate, a TV advert accuses her of "aggressively promoting gay marriage". Cheney's other daughter, Mary (Alison Pill), had been married to a woman for over a year at the time. The day after the advert aired, Liz appeared on Fox News Sunday and said she did not support gay marriage, causing a rift between the family and Mary which remains to this day. The film features a scene the night before Liz goes on TV, in which she asks permission to defend herself. In a chilling moment lifted right out of The Godfather Part II (1974), Cheney indicates his approval with a single silent nod of his head.

As with The Big Short (2015), Vice is aesthetically audacious. For example, the film is edited in such a way as to remind me of Oliver Stone's "horizontal editing" in films such as JFK (1991), Nixon (1995), U Turn (1997), and, especially, Natural Born Killers (1994). It's no coincidence that Vice was cut by Hank Corwin, who cut several of Stone's 90s films. For example, as Chaney attempts to manipulate Bush (Sam Rockwell) into agreeing to give him more power, there are intercepts of fly-fishing. It's not subtle, but it is effective. Elsewhere, much as Stone uses Coke commercials and footage from old films in Natural Born Killers, Vice features excerpts from the Budweiser "Whassup?" commercial and Survivor (2000). In another scene, when Cheney first learns of the Unitary Executive Theory, the film cuts to a lion bringing down a gazelle. For me though, some of the most effective editing in the film is more conventional. One particularly strong example is as Bush declares war on Iraq, the camera tilts down to show his leg is shaking. The film then cuts to a shot of an Iraqi civilian's leg shaking as the bombs begin to drop.

Also similar to The Big Short is the film's sense of humour, with a tone of irreverence established from the very beginning, as the opening legend states, "the following is a true story. Or as true as it can be given that Dick Cheney is known as one of the most secretive leaders in recent history. But we did our f---king best." A particularly sardonic scene comes about an hour in, as the film shows Cheney turning down Bush when he asks him to be his running mate in 2000. At this point, the legend explains that Cheney had chosen family over politics, and that he happily lived out his days in Wyoming. As the Cheneys gather around a family barbeque, triumphant music swells, and the closing credits start to roll, only for the movie to interrupt itself, pointing out that that's not what happened. It's a very meta technique, and one which both mocks feel-good biopics, whilst also suggesting had Cheney not returned in 2000, the world could have had this happy ending.

Another very funny sequence sees Cheney and his wife, Lynne (Amy Adams) in bed discussing whether or not he should accept Bush's offer, with the narrator explaining, "Sadly there is no real way to know exactly what was going on with the Cheneys at this history-changing moment. We can't just snap into a Shakespearean soliloquy that dramatises every feeling and emotion. That's just not the way the world works." This is immediately followed by Cheney and Lynne speaking in faux-Shakespearean blank verse as they work themselves up into a sexual frenzy (although technically, this is a duologue, not a soliloquy). In another scene, a waiter (Alfred Molina), reads from a menu that features various forms of Cheney-endorsed torture. After listening to their options, Cheney gleefully declares, "we'll take it all". There is also a hilarious mid-credit scene, which sees a focus group descend into chaos when a conservative calls a liberal a "libtard", prompting a mass brawl, whilst two young girls ignore it so as to speculate about the new Fast & the Furious film.

For all that, however, Vice isn't a patch on The Big Short, for a number of reasons. For example, whereas in The Big Short, the self-reflexive Tristram Shandy-style narrative structure worked to the film's advantage, providing a way into the complex story, here it has the exact opposite effect, oftentimes distracting from McKay's thematic concerns, preventing the film from focusing on telling us how (and why) Cheney exploited loopholes in executive power to restructure US foreign policy.

The most egregious problem is that the film fails to give any kind of psychological verisimilitude or interiority to Cheney. Presenting him in an almost robotic manner, there is very little on what drives him, depicting his various deeds without offering anything cogent in terms of his motivations. Is he simply an ideologically-weak opportunist? Is he an evil megalomaniac fuelled by a deeper purpose, and if so, what purpose, and how? Could it all really have been about power, viewing the global geopolitical sphere as his own personal playground and nothing more? And if the film is arguing this, suggesting that this man, responsible for so much pain and suffering, did it all simply because he liked power, isn't that to downplay his agency, to allow one to argue that he didn't really know how much damage he was causing? Depriving him of psychology weakens any attempt to censure his actions. The film's Cheney is ultimately unknowable, and that makes his acts more easily forgivable. The argument that it was all because of power and greed really does next-to-nothing to help explain the man. It could, I suppose, be cited as an example of the banality of evil. Except that the film's Cheney is anything but banal. In fact, he's terrifying.

Cheney pressured the CIA to find non-existent links between Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein so as to justify an illegal invasion of Iraq. He oversaw the public relations campaign to build popular support for the war. He encouraged the torture of terror suspects all the while denying it was torture. He was responsible for the worst strategic blunder in US history, the growth of a domestic surveillance state, the dictatorialisation of the office of the President, and the deaths of 4,000 American troops and at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians. Positing him as a man who was power-mad and little else, Vice remains always on the outside, trying to listen through the wall, never managing to open the door and expose his actual inner workings. The comedy and structural experimentation make it entertaining as a film, but it tells us very little about Cheney that we didn't already know. Strip away the artifice, and you'll find it doesn't have a huge amount to say. Never attaining the scale of tragedy to which it clearly aspires, the film functions instead to remind critics of Bush's cabinet why they became critics of Bush's cabinet. In the end, rather than exposing Cheney's dark soul, the film argues that he doesn't have one. And that is a far less interesting thesis.

After I first saw the trailer for this film, I wasn't expecting such a funny, yet unsettling film. Christian Bale plays Dick Cheney, an intelligent man whose thirst for power sees him become the most influential American Vice-President ever. Bale's performance is commendable, but Vice's supporting cast - consisting of Amy Adams, Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell - complete the movie. Writer and Director Adam McKay brought this true story of power (and it's abuse) and politics to life with his unique perspective, and the skilled editing makes this film all the more enjoyable. In my opinion, Vice is a must-see film of 2018. 9/10

An engaging movie, following suit of Adam McKay's unorthodox style. The various exerts from other media types, with comical references throughout, added a spice to the middle-aged-power-hungry-American take that we know too well. Would watch again

This is fun, funny, fast portrait of Dick Cheney. You will laugh. And then you'll have moments where you feel like, "Why am I laughing?" Because this stuff is dark and scary and if all of it's true..... yikes.

Puts a lot of verifiable information in context for your review. This explains how deeply out of line the Presidency of GWB was. We voted for one man and got another. Ultimately, it led to our present situation.

I lean so far left that I struggle to stand upright and maintain an open mind. But a bad movie is a bad movie, I don't care which side of history it is on.

VICE is an uneven and dishonest mess, a real disappointment from director Adam McKay, who did such a fine job with THE BIG SHORT.

Other reviewers-- amateur and professional-- have raked VICE's many flaws over the coals. I'll reduce my complaint to one glaring omission which brings into focus how tendentious this movie is:

We are shown the NYTimes editorial by Joseph Wilson that angered the White House into retaliating: someone (the movie blames Cheney, which is plausible) leaks the fact that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA agent, blowing her cover.

The Times may have been innocent in "Plamegate," but it, and nearly all of mainstream media, has blood on its hands for having supported the Administration's blatantly false claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Cheney alone isn't responsible for the invasion of Iraq, far from it, yet that is what McKay very clearly implies, leaving the media off the hook. There was more than one bad guy who engineered invasions that resulted in more than 4,000 dead soldiers and 30,000 wounded ones-- and that's just the American casualties.

On the upside, Christian Bale's performance is as close to a perfect imitation as I can imagine, and Sam Rockwell brings expert comic subtlety to his portrayal of Bush II.