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The Manchurian Candidate

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7.5/10 • 741

1962-10-242h 6m

ThrillerDrama

When you've seen it all, you'll swear there's never been anything like it!

Near the end of the Korean War, a platoon of U.S. soldiers is captured by communists and brainwashed. Following the war, the platoon is returned home, and Sergeant Raymond Shaw is lauded as a hero by the rest of his platoon. However, the platoon commander, Captain Bennett Marco, finds himself plagued by strange nightmares and soon races to uncover a terrible plot.

Directors
John Frankenheimer
Editors
Ferris Webster

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Frank Sinatra

    Frank Sinatra

    Capt./Maj. Bennett Marco

  2. Laurence Harvey

    Laurence Harvey

    Raymond Shaw

  3. Angela Lansbury

    Angela Lansbury

    Mrs. Iselin

  4. Janet Leigh

    Janet Leigh

    Eugenie Rose Chaney

  5. James Gregory

    James Gregory

    Sen. John Yerkes Iselin

  6. Henry Silva

    Henry Silva

    Chunjin

  7. Leslie Parrish

    Leslie Parrish

    Jocelyn Jordan

  8. John McGiver

    John McGiver

    Sen. Thomas Jordan

  9. Khigh Dhiegh

    Khigh Dhiegh

    Dr. Yen Lo

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Nov 19, 2024

8/10

An outstandingly (and Golden Globe winning) vile performance from Angela Lansbury - well and truly putting her silly old maid roles to one side, makes a magnificent contribution to one of the most thought-provoking thrillers ever to come out of 1960s Hollywood. Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey return from the Korean War - the latter to great acclaim, winning the Medal of Honour. Both suffer from terrible nightmares and when Sinatra discovers that other survivors from their unit are also suffering; and that somehow Harvey is the fulcrum of it all we descend into an abyss of manipulation, brain "dry-cleaning", mind-control and red-bashing that is really quite unsettling - and entirely plausible. Janet Leigh, James Gregory and a truly malevolent Khigh Dhiegh as "Dr. Yen Lo" all gel well to create a masterpiece of tension and threat with the tightly shot direction; subtle use of light and music and a truly gripping dialogue contributing to a truly menacing adaptation of Richard Condon's visionary novel. A must see...

Media

  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster
  • The Manchurian Candidate poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$2,200,000.00
Revenue
$7,700,000.00
Keywords
cold warkorean war (1950-53)stepparentsconspiracybrainwashed assassinbrainwashingblack and whiteelectionpresidential candidatesleeper agentqueen of diamondskorea