Vice review: In 2016, Adam McKay shed his exclusively comedic back catalogue to tackle complex and destructive financial crisis of the late noughties. It was a stunning feature that incorporated multiple narratives, a vast cast, fourth wall breaking, and comedic techniques to address a very important moment in recent history. In many ways, McKay’s latest Vice is a spiritual sequel. It utilises all of the previously mentioned tactics to summarise the rise of Vice President Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and his role in the War on Terror. It’s a funny, scary, admirable film that once again portrays a difficult and important moment in recent history, in a very clever and palatable way.
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Vice review
Beginning early on in Cheney’s career, we are shown a heavy drinker with a lack of ambition soon given an ultimatum by his wife, Lynne (Amy Adams). Lynne and Dick are fascinating characters and are completely inhabited by Adams and Bale. Lynne Cheney is given elements of Lady MacBeth (without the murderous intent) as the driver behind her husband’s ambitions. She’s a smart and calculating woman who knows, due to her gender and the social climate at the the time, that she will never be as successful as a man, even if they be unqualified. Adams hits all the right notes in her role. She is irritable, tragic, but strong and determined. Showing brief glimpses into her character with the subtlest of looks, before pasting over it with her iron persona.
Surrounding the two leads are a series of phenomenal supporting performances, as highly talented actors give their renditions of political figures. Although every performance is a triumph, it must be said that the contrast between spot-on impersonations and exaggerated parodies can be somewhat jarring at times. On one hand you have the likes of Tyler Perry utterly nailing his turn as Colin Powell, and then there’s Steve Carell, whose fits of laughter as Donald Rumsfeld often harking back to Brick Tamland. The one actor who does tread the water elegantly between the two extremes is Sam Rockwell. He finds the humour and soul of George W. Bush, in a surprising bittersweet performance.
The star however, and unsurprisingly, is Bale in the lead. His magnificent performance renders Bale unrecognisable. He inhabits the body, the mannerisms, and the voice. He commands intense presence, and despite the way the narrative jumps around, we see growth and how he becomes the man he does. McKay does well to select defining moments to embed needed humanity, such as a very touching moment that sees Cheney comfort his daughter Mary (Alison Pill) as she comes out to her parents. No matter what Cheney is up to, Bale gives a sense of power and calm, where you can easily understand how he commanded so much power, and why he craved it.
If it all sounds too serious though, never fear. McKay never forgets his comedic roots, and hits absolute hilarity at times. He injects snippets of surreal and meta humour, such as an Alfred Molina cameo as a waiter suggesting ways to torture suspected terrorists, or an imagined conversation between Dick and Lynne scripted as Shakespeare, or even the film ‘ending’ too early. These strokes provide much relief, and are sometimes in danger of overshadowing a serious message about the power politicians can wield.
Vice won’t be convincing any right wingers to make a hard left, but it does make sure to address important topics of recent history in a way that can appeal to a mass audience. Vice has stunning performances, great humour, a punchy pace, and genuine heart.
Vice review by Luke Ryan Baldock, January 2019.
Vice is released in cinemas on 25th January 2019.
