The Manchurian Candidate is another in a long line of remakes to come out in the past couple of years. Another appropriate title for the film might have been The Stepford Candidate as it features plot elements that are quite similar to the recent Frank Oz film (which also happened to be a remake). In all seriousness, this updated version of the classic film from 1962 is far better than The Stepford Wives, and for what it's worth, it isn't a half bad remake either. That, in itself is a miracle, when you consider that the original is a masterpiece that never should have been disturbed in the first place.

This tale of conspiracy and paranoia features Denzel Washington as Ben Marco, a U.S. Army Captain who continues to be haunted by nightmarish visions caused by an experience in the Gulf War. Liev Schreiber is Raymond Shaw, a man whose life is on an upswing following receiving the medal of honor for his heroics while fighting under the command of Marco. Years have past, and as Marco's horrible visions continue, Shaw's popularity begins to grow in the public eye as he is mere steps away from obtaining the Vice Presidency of the United States - but not without the help of his overbearing and all-too-driven mother Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep). Marco soon begins to question the cause of his nightmares, and his investigation brings him to a dangerous conclusion that may include Shaw and the other men who served under him during the war.

The Manchurian Candidate was directed by the terrific Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) whose last attempt at remaking a classic resulted in the dreadful The Truth About Charlie (an update of the wonderful Charade). While this picture is leaps and bounds better than that awful mess, it can't hold a candle to 1962 version. Still, he deserves his props for a worthy effort in a re-telling what manages to be far more effective than the likes of Gus Van Sant's pointless take on Psycho.

Denzel Washington is solid as Ben Marco. As a haunted soul, Washington perfectly conveys a sense of paranoia, loneliness, and utter confusion. Liev Schrieber (an actor I'm really starting to warm up to) is outstanding as Raymond Shaw. He offers up a "creepy under the surface," robotic kind of vibe to the role, but he's also sympathetic and excels in moments of true drama. While his turn here is not as memorable as Laurence Harvey's in the oriental (he played the role as more of a momma's boy), I thought he was terrific nonetheless. I had been bothered by Meryl Streep's take on Eleanor Shaw (played by the wonderful Angela Lansbury in the original) since seeing her ham it up in the trailers. She really looked to be overplaying the role. But watching her in the context of the film, I found her fun and completely over-the-top in an Al Pacino kind of way, and I loved the little nuances that she brings to the role of this political zealot (most notably a strange kind of tension between she and Raymond towards the end of the film). Finally, I want to give a shout out to the amazing Jeffrey Wright, who continues to dazzle the hell out of me with each passing role. While he's only in the film for a few minutes, he make the most of them as a worn out soldier named Al Melvin. .

I like the way this Manchurian Candidate unfolds. We learn information as Denzel does and this sort of plot structure keeps the audience on their feet. I also like the nightmarish visions as shot by Jonathan Demme. The dreams, flashbacks and brain tampering sequences are downright chilling.

The Manchurian Candidate really loses something in the mid section and some of the updated elements are a little too obvious (such as one of the big enemies being a large corporation), but I was surprised how engrossed I was for much of the movie. It's well acted, well shot and ripe with a surprising amount of tension. And I absolutely loved how the climax unfolds.

The Manchurian Candidate is far from perfect (the idea that behind every great man is his mother is a little silly--at least in this version) and as I previously stated, it pales in comparison to the original, but for the most part, I quite liked it. It's much smarter than standard summer fare. If you're looking for a little intrigue in a movie this weekend (and if The Bourne Supremacy has already started by the time you get to the theater), go check out The Manchurian Candidate.