Sony Pictures
This week sees the release of The Front Runner, a new political drama from Jason Reitman starring Hugh Jackman in his first appearance on screen since the smash-hit The Greatest Showman. Jackman is in very different territory here, starring as Gary Hart, the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.
One of the first big releases of the new year, the film is also one of the best political dramas in recent years, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the story. To coincide with the release of the film – in cinemas from 11th January, we take a trip back in time to look at five of the best political dramas in recent years.
LBJ (2016)
This little-seen drama first debuted at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival but didn’t hit cinemas until well after a year later. Rob Reiner directs a virtually unrecognisable Woody Harrelson in the title role of former U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson, a former senator and vide-president who was elevated to the position of commander in chief following the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. The film only took around $2.5 million upon its initial release in its domestic territory, but it is well worth seeking out if you can find it – even if it is for Harrelson’s superb performance.
JFK (1991)
Released all the way back in 1991, Oliver Stone’s powerful examination of the assassination of Kennedy is one that is difficult to rival. Featuring a glowing, star-studded cast, including the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon and Kevin Costner as New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. It garnered eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and had the honour of being named as the ninth best-edited movie of all time by the Motion Picture Editors Guild. It runs at over three hours but is well worth the commitment. One of most revered political movies ever made and an absolute must-see.
Related: Jason Reitman on his political drama The Front Runner [interview]
Jackie (2016)
We continue the theme of JFK, but this time move away from the investigation into the assassination of Kennedy to the effects it had on his family, notably in his wife Jackie, here played to Oscar-nominated glory by the phenomenal Natalie Portman. This film, directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain (Neruda), concentrates on the aftermath of the assassination, the trauma that the title character goes through, and then her subsequent journey in protecting the memory and legacy of JFK in the weeks and months that followed.
The Iron Lady (2011)
We cross the pond to the UK for the next film on our list – another Oscar-winning piece from Phillida Lloyd with Meryl Streep on form as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Streep commands the screen in every scene she appears in in this captivating true-story of Thatcher in her twilight years. The film took in a massive $115 million upon its initial release garnering attention and applause by critics and cinema-goers alike.
Lincoln (2012)
The year after the release of The Iron Lady comes Steven Spielberg’s awards magnet, Lincoln, based around the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, here portrayed by Daniel Day Lewis on top form. This 150-minute epic follows Lincoln through the American Civil War and the former commander in chief’s battle to emancipate slaves with the intense battle raging on. Lincoln was nominated for ten Oscars and won two – Best Actor for the never-better Day Lewis, and another with its extraordinary achievement in Production Design.
The Front Runner is released in cinemas on 11th January 2019.
