Director: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Michael Sheen, Dennis Quaid, Helen McCrory, Hope Davis
Released: 20/09/2010
Rating: 15
Few politicians have seen such meteoric rises to power as Tony Blair. Emulating the style of then President Clinton, Blair rose through the Labour ranks after 1993, emerging as leader, and then Prime Minister in 1997.
This is the third time Michael Sheen has portrayed Tony Blair, all in films written by Peter Morgan (the others being The Queen, and lesser known The Deal). And while it’s certainly not as good as The Queen, it’s not half bad either.
Following the relationship between Blair and President Clinton (Quaid), it looks at how they came together to handle peace in Northern Ireland, the Monica Lewinsky scandal and finally the invasion of Kosovo.
Interspersed with real news footage to add authenticity, the film feels like a true portrayal of what went on – and while the dialogue is clearly written for the film, it all seems relatively believable nonetheless.
In an age where Blair is remembered almost solely for his relations with President Bush and Iraq, it’s easy to forget his success in the beginning, and this film does well to bring these to the forefront.
While Clinton is shown to make all the wrong decisions, Sheen’s Blair is constantly there to save the day.
Helen McCrory is great as Cherie, while Hope Davis holds her own as the first lady of the United States.
Quaid’s Clinton is perhaps the weakest aspect of the movie, in a performance which seems almost caricature at times, but it’s not enough to spoil the film, and otherwise it really is pretty enjoyable.
The film ends as President Bush takes office, and it would be interesting to see a sequel for Blair and Bush – to see how the Blair character evolves from a man on the top of his game right to his rock bottom demise – but even as a standalone film this is pretty compelling stuff.
James Gordon
