VICE DVD (2018)

SYNOPSIS: VICE explores the epic story about how a bureaucratic Washington insider quietly became the most powerful man in the world as Vice-President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Vice is Adam McKay’s follow-up to hissatire comedy hit, The Big Short. Comparison is inevitable though one deals with politics and the latter about the financial crisis of 2007. Employing the same formula and filled with tongue-in-cheek humour, Vice is unfortunately more of a dud than fun and the efforts of Christian Bale is thoroughly wasted in the leading role.

No stranger to shrinking his weight for his onscreen roles, Bale added 40 pounds to his frame in Viceto play former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney instead. The story written by McKay himself takes a scattershot look at the life and career of Cheney and most important of all, how he rises to become the most influential Vice-President in American history.  

It’s not a prerequisite to possess knowledge of Dick Cheney as knowing McKay, he has no interest to showcase a serious biography about the character either. Vice is basically a series of brief sketches being stitched into a two hours feature. The movie even had a fake ending with crawling credits at the halfway mark. You got to admit though that’s a pretty funny move. 

As painted by McKay, Dick Cheney comes across on the whole as a thoroughly boring and uncharismatic man. From working under then economic adviser Donald Rumsfled to running to be a representative for Wyoming to a running mate alongside George W. Bush, Cheney is more of a man that has hidden agendas, ambitions of his own rather than a passionate leader who cares for his country and fellow citizens. 

Well, it could also be a one-sided political assassination attempt by McKay or just a purely silly fictional plot about a famous political figure. Either way it never makes for a satisfying watch. The list of cast members assembled however is godsend. Bale of course is amazing as Cheney so is Amy Adams as Lynn Cheney. Steve Carell convincingly stars as Rumsfled, Sam Rockwell without being over the top is solid as Bush and Tyler Perry is compelling as 4-star General Colin Powell. It’s really a waste that a supposedly edgy witty movie is mostly a drag to sit through. 

In the end, we are hoping McKay is already working on his Donald Trump biography. That ought to be better. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD comes with a The Making of Vice which clocked at a whopping 35 minutes, The Music of Power is a deleted musical sequence, 17 minutes of Deleted Scenes and a Gallery. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The visual looks aged and cheesy at points probably intended by the filmmakers. Otherwise it’s a fine viewing experience. Dialogue is heavy for this title and the Dolby Digital 5.1 is more than sufficient. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee