It seems that now is the perfect time for a political drama, given the fact that election day is just around the corner. Give The Contender kudos for perfect timing.

In The Contender, Joan Allen plays a politician next in line for the Vice Presidency. Gary Oldman plays a nasty Republican Congressman out to destroy Allen (a Democrat) by any means necessary. If you've seen the previews, you've probably figured out that he accomplishes his dastardly designs by digging up a little dirt from the respected woman's past. There is, of course, alot more than this going on--after all, it is about Washington.

The Contender was written and directed by Rod Lurie (Deterrence), and he takes an obvious political stance with this picture. Democrats good, Republicans bad! The only Democrat in the picture that is somewhat flawed, is never truly made out to be a bad guy.

The Contender is also played as a morality tale, in which central characters switch sides all in the name of goodness. What I do applaud The Contender for, is it's unflinching look at the ugly and dark underbelly of politics--it's scary enough to be recommended as a Halloween film. I would also like to give praise to Joan Allen in an incredible performance as a strong-willed woman who refuses to be beaten down. Gary Oldman is also amazing and almost unrecognizable as a sleazy, misguided Congressman.

The Contender is not without it's flaws. At times, the film is incredibly restrained and then all of the sudden it's way over the top (like Jeff Bridge's corny Presidential speech towards the film's end). I was also a bit annoyed by the ending of the picture. Although the mystery revealed makes sense, it distracts from the film's focus. These are minor quibbles however. The Contender is one sided, but film is a source of expression. Besides, Hollywood isn't known for making movies about heroic Republicans. And given the attacks on Hollywood in the past, I can't say that I blame them. The Contender is an intimately brutal look into the world of dirty pool politics. And although it's unlikely that it will have any effect on the outcome of the election--you'd have to be pretty naive to think that the timing is coincidental.