The script of the movie is based on George Axelrod's original, which in turn was based on the novel by Richard Condon, is confusing. This version takes place after the first Gulf War in Kuwait, Captain Ben Marco (Washington, in a role once played by Frank Sinatra) and his convoy are attacked and captured. They are found alive after three days - rescued by a member of the convoy Raymond Shaw (Shreiber). Raymond Shaw wins a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Gulf War. He soon gets into politics and is positioning himself to be the Vice President of the United States. Marco who has been seeing some re-occuring dreams, which are getting clearer now. To his surprise he gets to know that another former member of his platoon is also having the same dream. Macro realizes that he and his fellow soldiers could be under some kind of control, he thinks may be they were brain washed when they were in captivaty.

This movie has many positive points. The performance by Washington and Meryl Streep is stunning. Meryl Streepas is extra ordinary as the two-faced Senator Shaw and probably get an Oscar nomination for the performance in the movie. Raymond Shaw was played in a great way by Liev Schreiber. But the fans of the original "The Manchurian Candidate" might get disappointed and miss the cast of the original one. It is a little too long and seemed to be dragged in the middle but any how it does not lose it's interest.

Jonathan Demme uses dialogue and subtle camera moves to bring this drama to its boiling point. There are still some unturned stone left by Demme, he leaves out some marvelously inspired touches from Frankenheimer's version, such as the soldiers brainwashed at a garden party and the giggling Korean baddie brainwasher at the Peking Institute. Very surprisingly, the film still feels relevant. It captures the public's fears beautifully in this modern age of uncertainty. Demme is at the top of his game, mixing potboiler thrills with introspective analysis without allowing them to interfere with each other. Director Jonathan Demme does his best to keep the film entertaining for the apolitical with his snazziest directing since "The Silence of the Lambs." Demme achieves the same sense of dread with the flashbacks and nightmares in The Manchurian Candidate.

Those who have not see the first "The Manchurian Candidate" or the second should see both of them it is really worth it. According to me this movie is a satire of American political life and makes us all wonder could it really happen. Ths story line is the same as the original with a few significant changes made to fit in our real world. The bottom line is it is a well directed and written movie.