OLIVER STONE’S “W.” - Review
Josh Brolin - W.
OLIVER STONE’S “W.“
REVIEW BY 790
STARS: JOSH BROLIN, RICHARD DREYFUSS, JAMES CROMWELL, ELLEN BURSTYN, SCOTT GLEN, THANDLE NEWTON, STACY KEACH, AND JEFFERY WRIGHT.
Running Time: 131 min.
Let me just say right up front, I found Oliver Stones W. to be disturbingly good. It skims the surface of the real story at the same time reveals how bad it really is with this guy in power. Ironically W. had some of the best acting performances I’ve seen in years.
W. is the story of George W. Bush as he starts his life after college in hopes gaining success, and the respect of his distant father George Herbert Walker Bush.
One big reason to see W. is Josh Brolin. Brolin pulls off the role of his career as the inept older son trying to excel in anything (at all) to impress his Poppy. I haven’t seen a total performance so well done in years. Its even better than Heath Ledgers, Joker. I predict Josh Brolin will get the Oscar for his performance of George W Bush. Stone even uses actually news footage that has been subtly altered with Brolin over the real Bush. Those vintage moments totally create the illusion that Brolin is Bush. It is eerie at times to behold.
The opening scene in the Oval Office coming up with the term “Axis of Evil”, was horrifically 24 like, (season 5) to be correct. 24 fans should get that one. After the media [spin term] is created to help launch a war that will end up killing hundreds of thousands of people, Bush, declares the meeting a success, and then asks everyone in the room to pray (to God) with him. All the while Dick Cheney looks on in the corner with a twisted smile. Richard Dreyfuss, who plays Dick Cheney, should also win the Oscar for his amazing performance. He plays Dick with such evil confidence, and superior intelligence over the completely oblivious Bush, that I bet even the real Dick is impressed.
Thandle Newton , (the hot Necromancer in Chronicles of Riddick) plays Condoleezza Rice with dead on, total immersion of the character, another Oscar winning performance! So many great performances also by James Cromwell as Poppy Bush, and Toby Jones as Karl Rove, Bush’s “word man”.
Oliver Stone uses the religion card pretty heavy in this film, showing Bush (after becoming Born Again) as a man who believes he’s destined to become President because God gave him the Callin. Stacy Keach plays George’s pastor, Earle Hudd in twisted tele-evangelistic fashion.
Stone decided (wisely) instead of showing W. using the religion card as a political ploy to get votes, he would show Bush as a God fearing righteous man. It works because there’s scenes that show us how far Bush is willing to go in proving to everyone that he’s a leader especially his Poppy (That’s what he calls him in the film btw).
After the events of 9-11, (that are hardy covered at all) we see how Bush is led astray down the path of confusion by Cheney and Rumsfeld who are both playing dumb, all the while duping the President into going to into Iraq.
It’s strange the way Stone pulls this film off, some of the scenes in the war-room are given a Strangelove setting that only adds a surreal look to the film. One of the scenes I’ll never forget was a scene that showed Barbera Bush and George sitting in there posh living room watching on TV, the Iraqis pull down the statue of Saddam Hussein. As the camera pulls in front of them we see them giggling and eating Popcorn.
There’s a few brilliant (pun intended) illuminatti references. The most obvious is his moment in the park as he sees God in the Sun (very slick Stone!), there’s a lot of sly references in the film like that. There was a great False Flag reference between W, and Tony Blair that I thought was very deep to the truth. However I was a little bummed Stone didn’t go into the Skull and Bones stuff, but then that would have conflicted with George becoming Born Again. Instead the frat was called the Delta Capsters.
Anyway, I think I have to recommend this film. I actually didn’t expect it to be this good. Stone could have told the real truth but people would have laughed him out of Hollywood. The way the film ended I also found very cryptic. Not the baseball scene the way it just faded to black and said, “The End.”
W. Is rated PG-13, I’m pretty sure it was for the scene where Colin Powell tells Dick Cheney to fuck off.
I can’t wait to see W. 790! I was excited before but you have doubled that original excitement!
However, i am disappointed that the Skull and Bones were left out, but I guess at the same time I do understand why.
Thanks Stan,,, Stone just shows the basic college hazing. Nothing like the S&B’s rituals…
Had to play it a little safe there,,, :-)
“i am disappointed that the Skull and Bones were left out,”
Yeah, but you know you see plenty of that in “The Good Shepard.”
So I personally won’t miss it.
Sounds really interesting 790. I’m glad to hear that the movie stays focused on Bush, instead of the history surrounding the years he’s in office. Have to keep the eyes, and ears wide open for all the, Delicious underlying subtext! This one moves to the top of the list for me. Good job 790 :-)
“The Good Shepard” I’ve got that dvd but I havnt watched it yet,,,
Yeah thanks Old Man,,, Stone had to take an angle and he used the “Born Again” one.
If you read between the lines you can see the real message of the film…
Hey 790:
I have finally made my escape from that nightmare Fireproof thread. (this is Bob Jones)Anyway I am very much in sync with your review of “W” I must admit I wasn’t quite as enamored with Newton’s Condoleezza Rice ;however, since this was my first viewing I may change may opinion upon a future viewing. Personally I believe Brolin and Dryfus gave Oscar worthy performances. Like I said before I was very leery after Stone’s “Nixon”, ;however, I was surprised by how a film (which could easily have been just a Characature)that became a multifaceted study. Awesome Job on the review
I appreciate your comments Aquatania,,, ;-)
Yeah Stone really nailed this film,,, there’s no denying it. ..
You didn’t like Condi???
I thought , yeah there were some scenes where she was almost a little over the top, but she pulled it off ,,,
I loved Newton, in Chronicles of Riddick. Maybe I’m biased?
8-) she’s very hot!!!!
Great review! I was really wanting to see this one, and was very disappointed when the local theater did not get a print of it. When I first saw the previews I thought they were going to glorify that buffoon but I am pleased to see that is not the case.
No Bear there’s nothing flattering about Bush in this film…
He comes across as the village retard that gets used like a tool to wage war against the other neighboring village… Its tragic and really a national embarassment…
The real underlying message
is that he won the first election based on the fact that he convinced half the voting population that he’s a Born Again Christan…
It was a lie,,,
The second time he won, it was because of the Bin Laden scare tape that came out “conviently” a few days before the election…
Everything about this guy is BS !!!
Oliver Stone puts it up for you to see, and judge for yourself…
Brolin is soo convincing it makes the film even more intense…Just amazing acting!
Well, it is a must see for me anyway because of Mr. Stone. I think my favorite film of his is probably “Natural Born Killers.”
I have been hearing some republicans say it makes Bush look better. In a way I guess it does. The real Bush has set the bar pretty low!
Wow Stan,,, that’s pretty sad,,, Bush is an Untamed Boner in this film, it sucks to think he could be worse…
“Umm eehh umm”…..
;-)
Brolin evidently tried to “make a statement” with the movies he makes… such as in No Country for Old Men; that makes him pretty well suited for making ‘W.’
I felt that Brolin played himself in “No Country” in “W.” He really crossed the line of excellence…
I’ve never seen an impression so well done..!
@Movie Fan (nice site you have btw) ,,, I have a question ???
Do you think that (the real) Bush is really a Born Again Christian or he’s just faking it???
@790 — that’s impossible for me to say… the best answer i have is “that’s between him and God” he could be a man who sincerely loves God who somehow ended up in a job that he isn’t fit for.
@Movie Fan, if you do some research on the Bush family, you can see how a person like W, would lie about his Love of Christ, to obtain the office of the President…
I felt Oliver Stone did his best to subtly portray that in the film. There’s a lot of little clues to the real truth in there…
(IMO) Stone didn’t overtly come out and portray W, as an Occultist and member of Skull & Bones for reasons that he probably wants to make a few more films. :-)
well, if loving Jesus is such a great thing, then let that be to His credit… it’s certainly not a new development that people would use religion to advance their own agendas
i noticed those clues as well… on one hand i thought it was admirable that Bush would be so sincere in his faith to have “a moment of silence with God” after every meeting with his cabinet; but, then again, this goes to show that not everyone who prays to God listens to His answers very well
Well if you believe that Bush is a Christian,,, Stone was trying to show you that here’s a man, supposedly believes in Christ, yet dosnt even follow Christs basic teachings…
The group prayers in the film I’m sure were embleshments of the truth…(Also done in the TV show 24, season 5, that president was later removed from office)…
(In the film “W.”) Stone showed that W, found Christ, and AA, as a crutch that he later used to his advantage to win over votes from middle America… (Not to mention the BS chad scenario in Florida, “his brothers state”).
If your a person that has researched the Bush family, the films message is clear,,,
Bush (and the entire family) is a con-man, and a tool for the NWO,,,
Anybody catch the nickname Stone used in the film to call George Herbert Walker Bush?
-Poppy-
That’s a total inside reference to the Opium that was smuggled into the US during the Cocaine- Cowboy days he was in charge of the CIA,,,
I wasn’t really interested in seeing this movie but after reading your review I might just head to the movie theater to see it.
Thanks.
Veeeeeeeeeeeery Interesting… Good review 790!
I see you’re taking your job quite seriously!
To be honest, I wasn’t going to bother with this film, but now, after reading this, I really want to see if Stone has eh… the STONES to pull this film off the way I hope he does… if he does, he might be allowed back in to my ‘circle’ of directors I respect. ;)
I’ll watch it whence it comes out on BD…
Ergo, your gonna love the symbolism in the film.
The entire film is an inside joke for those that seek humor in the truth…
Stone is Back!
No matter how good anyone is in any role, it might just be too outside the social acceptance circle on Hollywood to have anyone but Ledger win, even if you are right “7″.
“Oliver Stone uses the religion card pretty heavy in this film”:
Then it sounds like a good characterization. Politics always turns to religion to build their support system and politicians are all about spin. I have a hard time believing anything they pitch. It’s the deeds they do that sit with me.
Remember the definitions:
Poli = many
tics = blood sucking vermin.
Regardless, you’ve made the film sound like it is an entertaining piece that has gone from “not interested” on my list, to “I am just curious enough to not run from it” now.
Good write up. -BruceSimmons