The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh

Synopsis:
Plagued by nightmares after his time in Korea, an Army officer investigates a Medal of Honor recipient formerly under his command who may not be all that he seems.

Impressions:
This is a cool Cold War thriller that does some interesting things with brainwashing, a subject I don't think had much exposure before this. It plays around a bit with the politics of the era to good effect. Frank Sinatra is solid as the lead and the distant, standoffish performance of Laurence Harvey gives a nice uncanny vibe. If you've never seen Angela Lansbury in an antagonistic role, you'll be duly surprised and impressed with her here. I also want to credit Kigh Dheigh as Dr. Yen Lo, a really cool villain. I like this movie quite a bit and definitely think it's worth a watch.

Rating:
Watch It