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Poster for The Contender

The Contender

2000 · 126 min

A talky, self-serious Washington drama that crackles in the hearing room and coasts on righteous speeches and sharp character turns.

Directed by
Rod Lurie
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Starring
Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges
Tagline
Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.
Overview
The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. When Senator Laine Hanson is nominated as the first woman in history to hold the office, hidden agendas explode into a battle for power.

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Free in the UK
  • Pluto TV
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Rod Lurie
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Starring
Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • politics
  • power
  • gender
  • morality
  • media
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror0
Humour4
Realism8
Romance1
Tension6
Darkness5
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Pluto TV
Rent or buy
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, thriller
Directed by
Rod Lurie
Written by
Rod Lurie
Starring
Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott, William L. Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall
Music
Larry Groupé
Cinematography
Denis Maloney
Runtime
126 min
Country
Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America
Languages
German, English

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