When I saw an excerpt of a review for The Contender (2000) on the DVD cover saying, "A first-rate thriller," I was surprised. Even though I had seen the movie at least four times before finally buying it; seeing it being described as a thriller didn’t seem correct. I thought about the plot for a moment and quickly realized that of course it could be categorized as such. Which got me thinking about why my gut reaction said differently. I found that I didn’t love this movie because it "thrilled" me in the sense that it kept me on the edge of my seat or the plot had more twists than a political campaign speech but that I love this movie because it comforts me. That seems a bit of an insignificant and dull reason to watch a movie over and over again, so perhaps I should elaborate and say that I reach a cinematic nirvana while watching The Contender-–I am able to harness my movie c
I believe The Contender will be a cinematic security blanket for me for a long
The plot and acting come in at close seconds to the cinematography. I also find tranquility in the tightly woven plot and the calm, controlled performances of Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Gary Oldman and most notably Sam Elliot. In this case, it is they who are the frosting on this cake.
The vivid imagery and cinematography of the film is what I find so blissful. When I started to learn about the anatomy of a movie, I believed that cinematography was merely frosting on the cake–what made a film "pretty." The lighting, colors, and framing is not only what makes The Contender look good; it is what makes The Contender, period. I can not confidently give full credit to either the director, Rod Lurie, or cinematographer Denis Maloney for the film’s visual achievement because you never can tell who had a larger hand i
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