An insider on this remake of the classic thriller comes through with a superb report from the production about what we can expect onscreen when the Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep-led thriller opens in August:
"The film is a darker psychological thriller than the original, it's certainly straighter in any case. The big thing everyone seems to be harping on is what replaces the satire on Communism this time around. Instead of Communists, the villains of this film are part of a business conglomerate, Manchurian Global, bent on a similar quest to get a foothold in world politics. That's eluded to in the trailer at least. Rather than hypnotism and cards, Raymond et al are controlled via a tiny mechanical sub-dermal implant grafted into their backs, and it's triggered by the whole 'Raymond Prentis Shaw' dialogue as seen in the trailer. There is a rather... interesting scene where Marco confronts Raymond, rips off his shirt and removes his implant (don't know if you want to reveal this to everyone, as it's rather surprising in the final scene. Marco is met with more skepticism and has little support from the government in uncovering the conspiracy in this version.
The performances have been very watchable. Denzel is typically morose and somber, it's not a huge departure for him, but he carries his scenes well. Liev and Meryl had a blast - he plays Raymond a little more sympathetically than Harvey did, and she's suitably cold and conniving. If there is an Oscar push, she has the showiest performance. In regards to casting, Emma Thompson and Jessica Lange were being considered for Eleanor Shaw early on as well. Kimberly Elise in the Janet Leigh role has a breakout performance though, she's been very consistent and her role is much more substantial than in the original, there are many more scenes between her character and Marco. The cast is filled with cameos from character actors in previous Demme films, as usual, most popping up as government officials (including Roger Corman) and look for the actor who played the young lawyer who hit on Denzel in 'Philadelphia' to show up as a director at the convention. Um.. what else? Filming wrapped in January. I believe Eleanor Shaw is a senator in this version, but I'm a little hazy on that now. As you may have gathered, it's Raymond who is being positioned as the VP nominee - there is no Senator Iselin. The Gulf War scenes were shot at a small sand pit in New Jersey and in the studio, the script takes full advantage of New York scenery - scenes in and around Penn Station, Central Park (sheep's meadow), Times Square, the Javitts Center, Regency Hotel etc.
The climax is different from the original. It still takes place at the convention, but there are some twists to shake things up a bit. I think it'll be a very solid and exciting thriller, the studio seems to be happy with it, the vibe on the set was always positive. Demme really wants a hit this time out, and he has taken a much more active role in directing his actors than he usually does. He was energetic and seemed to be having fun all the time... I think that will all make its way onscreen".
