This is set during the 90s with hopeful Labour candidate Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) looking to help his party claim victory in a general election for the first time in over twenty years. He intends to boost his popularity by meeting with the US President Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid). The plan works for the polls and it also sparks a friendship between the two leaders. One aspect they share in common is that they are both watched over by their dominant wives Hilary Clinton (Hope Davis) and Cherie Blair (Helen McCrory). Their friendship continues over the years and is tested most fiercely during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Despite being mocked by the other world leaders, Blair stands up for Clinton without knowing the whole truth. Having shown his loyalty, Blair sees this as an opportunity to pressure the experienced US President when it counts most, specifically during the Bosnian War. He calls upon the reluctant US government to commit ground troops to combat the invasion, further testing his friendship with Clinton.
Despite having the credentials of Peter Morgan as a screenwriter, who previously wrote The Queen and Frost/Nixon, this compelling film is not being as widely distributed as it should be. It is being released in only three countries, including the US as a telemovie by HBO. It is disappointing that it will not reach a wider audience because director Richard Loncraine has taken a new side of the Clinton/Lewinsky drama, showing the development of a power game that would haunt Blair throughout the rest of his political career. As with Frost/Nixon the main players here are shown in a human light but with slightly more humour this time. Both Blair and Clinton are shown at home, interacting with their families to make them seem more relatable before their fatal mistakes. It pays off in the final third, the most intensely told portion of the story, with Blair's self-righteousness and overtly Christian values becoming more apparent as he tries to justify the British and US involvement with the Bosnian crisis. The film is structured like a Greek tragedy, given that Blair's hubris takes over, believing that his involvement with the Republicans will be a similar relationship to the one he shared with Clinton. It is because of the disaster of the war in Iraq that the audience realises that this will not be the case, giving the film powerful dramatic irony. It is with these final moments of The Special Relationship, particularly when Clinton warns him about what is to come, that the film accentuates its point and truly soars.
The essence of this film is a character study and the performances are uniformly excellent. Although Dennis Quaid might have once seemed like a rather unlikely choice to play Clinton he embodies this role so well that it becomes more than just an impersonation. He balances the key aspects of Clinton's leadership, as a hugely charismatic and inviting person but there is also something far more sinister that arises in him when he confronts Blair about the crisis. The film asserts that Clinton never stopped being a politician, even in the face of Hilary when he lies straight to her about his involvement with Lewinsky. The only hint of vulnerability he shares is when he looks out a car window at the US Capitol, perhaps realising the dwindling nature of his legacy and reputation. Michael Sheen has played Blair before and here he characterises him as a bumbling Englishman who is initially in awe of his situation. The way that he becomes more and more self-assured does not feel rushed or contrived but entirely believable because of our knowledge about the sort of person he would grow into. The roles of both women have not been underwritten either. They're both characterised and performed sharply as powerful and unflinching. Though there are light comic touches applied to Cherie, such as when Blair asks if she would leave him under the same circumstances and she says: "no...but I would make your life hell".
This is an intense and grossing political drama that not only speaks about transnational negotiations but it also broadens one's perspective of particular political events and how they would influence the future. The events are told precisely with both humour and intensity, begging the question as to why the film itself has such minimal distribution. Those that do see the film will be engaged by the quality of the top performances, particularly Dennis Quaid who brings power and humanity to a distinct historical figure. It's an important political film because it reflects on how these events would continue to influence some of the most significant choices made by politicians in the 21st century.
Despite having the credentials of Peter Morgan as a screenwriter, who previously wrote The Queen and Frost/Nixon, this compelling film is not being as widely distributed as it should be. It is being released in only three countries, including the US as a telemovie by HBO. It is disappointing that it will not reach a wider audience because director Richard Loncraine has taken a new side of the Clinton/Lewinsky drama, showing the development of a power game that would haunt Blair throughout the rest of his political career. As with Frost/Nixon the main players here are shown in a human light but with slightly more humour this time. Both Blair and Clinton are shown at home, interacting with their families to make them seem more relatable before their fatal mistakes. It pays off in the final third, the most intensely told portion of the story, with Blair's self-righteousness and overtly Christian values becoming more apparent as he tries to justify the British and US involvement with the Bosnian crisis. The film is structured like a Greek tragedy, given that Blair's hubris takes over, believing that his involvement with the Republicans will be a similar relationship to the one he shared with Clinton. It is because of the disaster of the war in Iraq that the audience realises that this will not be the case, giving the film powerful dramatic irony. It is with these final moments of The Special Relationship, particularly when Clinton warns him about what is to come, that the film accentuates its point and truly soars.
The essence of this film is a character study and the performances are uniformly excellent. Although Dennis Quaid might have once seemed like a rather unlikely choice to play Clinton he embodies this role so well that it becomes more than just an impersonation. He balances the key aspects of Clinton's leadership, as a hugely charismatic and inviting person but there is also something far more sinister that arises in him when he confronts Blair about the crisis. The film asserts that Clinton never stopped being a politician, even in the face of Hilary when he lies straight to her about his involvement with Lewinsky. The only hint of vulnerability he shares is when he looks out a car window at the US Capitol, perhaps realising the dwindling nature of his legacy and reputation. Michael Sheen has played Blair before and here he characterises him as a bumbling Englishman who is initially in awe of his situation. The way that he becomes more and more self-assured does not feel rushed or contrived but entirely believable because of our knowledge about the sort of person he would grow into. The roles of both women have not been underwritten either. They're both characterised and performed sharply as powerful and unflinching. Though there are light comic touches applied to Cherie, such as when Blair asks if she would leave him under the same circumstances and she says: "no...but I would make your life hell".
This is an intense and grossing political drama that not only speaks about transnational negotiations but it also broadens one's perspective of particular political events and how they would influence the future. The events are told precisely with both humour and intensity, begging the question as to why the film itself has such minimal distribution. Those that do see the film will be engaged by the quality of the top performances, particularly Dennis Quaid who brings power and humanity to a distinct historical figure. It's an important political film because it reflects on how these events would continue to influence some of the most significant choices made by politicians in the 21st century.