Some people consider the office of Vice President of the United States to be more of a symbolic position. The position Is important because they are next in line in the order of power if the President passes away, quits, or is incapacitated as well as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. But beyond that, it is not a power position like Secretary of State, Chief of Staff, or Secretary of Defense, and most people cannot name more than a handful of men in our history that have held that office. One of the most famous (or infamous, depending on who you are) Vice Presidents of our time is Dick Chaney, and now the well-touted director of “The Big Short” Adam McKay brings his story to the screen with “Vice”.
Christian Bale plays Cheney as he deals with the events of September 11, 2001 and flashes back and forth to his early life and rising career. The cinematography really compliments the film in that it seemed like there were different styles from current time versus his time as a young man in Wyoming, showing off the sets very well.
Plain and simply put as it pertains to this cast: IT IS INCREDIBLE! With modern legends like Sam Rockwell playing George W. Bush, Amy Adams as Cheney’s wife Lynne, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld as well as Alison Pill, Jesse Plemons, and Bill Camp, all the supporting roles really compliment Bale’s character. As far as Bale himself, he REALLY stands out here as he looks, talks, and acted just like Cheney himself to the point where if I did not know ahead of time that Bale played Cheney, I never would have known it was him. Bale, Rockwell and Carell all truly deserve to be considered in the acting awards next year.
“Vice” is over two hours long, but it did not seem it or get too confusing with the constant flash back and forth. This is not a puff piece portraying Cheney as a sweetheart and the greatest thing since sliced bread but instead showed a person who is quiet but when he does talk, the words are big and how he always seemed to have a plan to get to where he wanted to be by any means necessary legally. There are a few light-hearted moments like when President Clinton took power and Cheney had no government position, the narration on the screen saying Cheney became the CEO of Haliburton and lived life quietly in the private sector with the credits starting to roll, followed by a screeching sound how that was the furthest from the truth. Words cannot express how much I loved this film and how surprised I was. Not only will I recommend this film as the coveted full price in the theaters, it WILL also make my Top Ten films of the year.