Adam McKay's follow up to his Academy Award winning, The Big Short is just as good, or maybe even better in my opinion that it's predecessor and again in sharp and attacking form with a good dose of comedy as well as material that will make you think and even unsettle you, it definitely is a film that is bound to be debated, discussed and the topic of water cooler conversations for anyone living in America, or who has even the tiniest bit of interest in political activities. Last time, McKay tackled the crash of the stock market along with the housing bubble and decline that is just over ten years ago that these events happened and with The Big Short, McKay took a subject matter that to many people would work better than a warm glass of milk at bedtime to put you asleep and instead totally energized the topic by making it understandable as well as also funny and entertaining in what was a marvellously edited and written film that made for good comedy as well as giving insight to one of the most polarizing news items of the last couple of decades. Here again, McKay takes on another topic and figure in American news that is at times funny, full of great editing, but also to anyone not normally engaged into the poltical world, he takes the persona of Vice President Dick Cheney and gives what is anything, but typical biography as well as doing it's own finger wagging at some of the morals and ethics behind some of his biggest decisions while in power. It could very well be argued as the film satirizes during it's closing credits that this is a film because of it's look into the subject as well as often scrutininizing and shaming some of the events of Cheney's life, that this is merely a liberal's point of view on the subject matter and therefore that this film is biased in it's approach. If you look on a conservative news site such as Breitbart News, the reviewer for this film (who's name at the moment, unfortunately escapes me) alluded to as much and more or less said that the number of Golden Globe nominations this film received, which was more than any other nominee this year, was because of the liberal Hollywood bias and because the film is shaming and calling out the Bush presidency as well as particularly Cheney himself in a not so flattering light, that Hollwood liberals would eat the film up and nominate it for whatever they could. It raises a valid argument because as much as I personally loved the film, there were many critics both liberal and not who were mostly lukewarm with the overall reception of the film. Review aggregate websites mostly had this film in the mid to high 60 percent range which is perhaps not good enough to warrant a nominee let alone be the sole recipient of the most nominees of said year. However the same case could be made for the other recent film, Bohemian Rhapsody, which had lukewarm to mediocre reviews from critics and yet audiences say it is one of the best films of the year and it even garnered some Golden Globe nominations too. Having seen my fair share of liberal and conservative news, I would say that this film does fall into the former category which will tend to perhaps turn off conservative viewers, or fans of Cheney, but I think going into this film I was prepared to take what they gave me not only with just a dose of salt, but also the whole shaker full of it. It is so common these days to have views done in a liberal, or politically correct way that perhaps sadly I have just become more accustomed to it even if I don't always necessarily agree with it. Still, I would consider this among the year's best for not just the brilliant acting, writing and editing (which in my opinion is all awards worthy), but also because no matter how you feel about this subject, or person, there is a lot that is brought up here that should offend people with the sense of morals and decency and the basic principle of right and wrong. Probably a lot of what Cheney did was ruthless and going behind the rules and laws that would have prevented such things. This is a film that as I mentioned earlier does give one a lot of food for thought and it can be a very aggressive film at times and can really hammer home it's message till it's litterally beating you over the head with it, but this is an opinion and a journey I was pleased to take to hear another side of the story, to think about it and be swept in at the great talent that was unfolding before me. This may not be for all tastes, but for those who want to think and savour what they have just watched you could do far worse than what proves to be one of this year's best films.
Review of Vice
