10 Greatest Movies About American Politics

Grimly believable, almost choking in its cynicism yet vital in its call for our politicians to do better, The Candidate is a sour shot of a movie, with Robert Redford rarely better and a delightfully slimy performance from the late great Frank Boyle.

The Candidate sees Redford play the chiseled, well meaning son of a former California governor. He is press ganged into an election against a popular Republican incumbent by Boyle’s shifty operator. Redford is there to fill space; his opponent is going to win no matter what, so he can say what he likes with no consequences.

Redford’s progressive, value-driven speeches prove so unpopular, however, that he’s forced to dial it back lest he find himself truly humiliated. As he switches to more generic slosh, he steadily rises in the opinion polls.

The Candidate was written by Jeremy Larner, speechwriter to Eugene McCarthy, Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential opponent. As such, it’s none too hard to see why the film takes such a dim view of the electorate. Tough to swallow, but all too easy to recognise.