Robert Redford: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Bill McKay - The Candidate (1972)

There are a great many films and TV shows which focus on the emptiness of politics, particularly the ruthless machinations of the election campaign. You only have to turn on your TV or search through Netflix for episodes of House of Cards, The West Wing or The Thick of It which cover this sort of ground. But when it comes to 1970s politics, and the creeping cynicism of the Nixon era, few films do it better than The Candidate.

The Candidate is a political drama written by Jeremy Larner, who served as a speechwriter for Senator Eugene J. McCarthy during the 1968 election. Redford plays Bill McKay, the idealistic, charismatic son of a former Governor of California, who is persuaded to run for the Democrats in the seemingly unwinnable race against popular Republican Crocker Jarmon (Don Porter). At first McKay is allowed to campaign on whatever values he likes, but soon election specialist Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) begins diluting his message in a desperate bid to win more votes.

The Candidate contains many elements which will be familiar to fans of the shows I cited: there's more than a little of Malcolm Tucker in the character of Marvin Lucas. But for all its prophetic moments, Redford's performance should be singled out for special attention. He brilliantly captures the mental state of a man of principle being worn down and swamped by a system that only wants power. It remains a gripping, powerful drama, anchored by a very mature and layered performance.