“Seemingly effortless”
Adam McKay’s new biographical comedy drama Vice which follows the professional and personal life of Dick Cheney really is a work of art because it was literally sculpted out of real events and molded into a 132-minute time table. The industry is lucky to have a director like Adam McKay because he is one of those rare people who is able to capture the truth without politically pointing fingers. It takes a real soul with a lot of patience to do something like that. There’s a difference between pointing fingers and portraying people and situations as they are so if any of the events that take place in Vice as well as the people who bring them about seem horrible, it’s not because McKay pointed fingers, it’s because they are horrible.
Of course, accurately achieving this is also due to the envious talents of the artists he works with. Christian Bale’s performance as Dick Cheney might as well be a performance in a horror film as it’s terrifying how much he captures him. I’d go as far to say he’s more like Cheney than Cheney himself. The same goes for Amy Adams whose dedication to everything she looks at instantly turns to perfection. She really captures the essence of Lynne Cheney. She’s just as driven and reckless and power hungry as her husband. They are the same person, really. She sparks the chemistry between herself and Bale as they are portraying a couple who know each other completely inside and out. It’s a scary yet interesting relationship.
Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell’s performances as Donald Rumsfeld and George W. Bush seemed effortless to pull off as I’m sure most viewers will be able to see right through them. None of these four people are afraid of taking anything too far because they feel if you don’t want to be a part of what they are doing then you don’t have to be. Sounds simple enough but they’ll all stand unapologetically in front of anyone in their way.
Alison Pill’s performance as Mary Cheney is the most devastating of Vice as she really is the betrayed dying swan whose stab in the back gets closer and closer as the film goes on. All five actors gave everything in themselves for Vice. I couldn’t be prouder of all of them. Their performances were truthful in the sense that these real-life people were portrayed as they are and I’m sure most viewers will agree with that no matter their politics. Vice really is a film where if it wasn’t for the acting, nothing else would matter because if you don’t believe it, it’s not there.
Though I’m sure the material for Vice wasn’t hard to find, the writing is impressive. It makes the film feel all over the place but never feel fake as it seems to go over everything and leave nothing out without feeling rushed. I’ll conclude by saying that for me, Vice is a film where it’s impossible to think about how hard making it must have been and I wish everyone who did the utmost of congratulations.