The Contender
Director: Rod Lurie
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Political drama, Drama
Year: 2000
Country: United States of America, Germany, United Kingdom, France
Language: English Language
Starring: Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott, William Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, Robin Thomas, Mariel Hemingway, Kathryn Morris, Kristen Shaw, Angelica Torn, Douglas Urbanski, Noah Fryrear, Ric Young, Larry King, Kevin Geer, Michael Stanton Kennedy
The Contender is a 2000 political thriller starring Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater. The film was directed by Rod Lurie and focuses on a fictional United States President (played by Bridges) and the events surrounding his appointment of a new Vice President (Allen).
Second-term Democratic U.S. President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) must select a new vice president following the sudden death of the current VP. The obvious choice seems to be Virginian Governor Jack Hathaway (William Petersen), who is hailed as a hero after he recently dove into a lake in a failed attempt to save a drowning girl. The president opts not to choose Hathaway, claiming that the administration cannot afford another Chappaquiddick.
The President instead decides that his "swan song" will be helping to break the glass ceiling. He nominates Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), a talented senator from Ohio who is a Republican-turned-Democrat. Standing in her way is Republican Congressman Shelley Runyon (Gary Oldman) of Illinois, who believes she is unqualified for the position, and backs Hathaway for the nod. His investigation in her background turns up an incident where she was apparently
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