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The Best Man (1997)

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Rated: Unrated; Genres: Drama, Political; With: Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson

By Steve Simels

If you think Primary Colors is a big deal, get a load of this: An idealistic, philandering presidential candidate trades dirty tricks with his hypocritical, possibly gay opponent in this knowing political intrigue scripted by Kennedy-clan confidant Gore Vidal. As savvy about power and the news media as its more famous contemporary The Manchurian Candidate, The Best Man gets revelatory performances from a canny cast ('30s player Tracy as an ex-President clearly deserved his Oscar nomination). On this, the film's laser debut, a razor-sharp transfer does full justice to Haskell Wexler's elegant black-and-white cinematography. A

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Posted Jun 13, 1997

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