The Candidate

            Robert Redford stars as a young Californian lawyer, and the son of the governor of California, Bill McKay. He is prompted by a sharp-witted political machine operator (played by Peter Boyle) to enter the primary for Senator of California. McKay is idealistic and speaks his mind, and doesn’t throw out all the political mumbo jumbo like politicians are known to do.

            Soon he sees his numbers rise as Boyle works his magic, and he sees he actually has a chance to win. Soon the machine starts to take over, and the cost of a push for victory, is McKay losing his political edginess, he no longer speaks his mind, and he becomes a cookie cutter image of every other two-faced politician in the game.

            The ending is particularly powerful, when Redford wins the election, and is congratulated by his father, that he is “a politician now”, and the very end when he actually wins, he is so confused as to what he will actually do as a senator. He has lost his purpose which was the only thing he started with, was his idealistic principles. It’s the very telling story which I’m sure has happened many times.

            The look at what the pressures are as a politician is very interesting, and the young idealism fading into shallow materialism, and loss of moral integrity is very interesting, and very reticent of the 60’s shift into the 70’s.  It’s crazy. Endings for older movies, like this and the ending to Chinatown are very confusing, and seem almost incomplete, and I’m notsure what the statement is, though I can guess in this case. I give this movie a 2, cause it is very gripping and interesting.