by The Film Blogger

Created on: September 11, 2009

Oliver Stone is certainly one of the most divisive filmmakers of our generation, his numerous political polemics (Nixon, JFK) seeing jubilation and outrage in equal measure. Stone's last work World Trade Center saw him buck this trend, crafting a piece that, save from meting out any political agenda or ideology, was merely a tribute to the lives lost on September 11th, and in many ways, his latest film, W., is a companion piece to that film.

W. marks a change of temperament for the controversial director (given his very public derision of Bush); in chronicling the life and times of George W. Bush, Stone has aimed to remain impartial, creating what he terms a fair, true portrait of the man. As much as it may therefore disappoint Bush haters, Stone has crafted a restrained and balanced film that concedes Bush's myriad mistakes, yet channels a resolute sense of humanity through Josh Brolin's exceptional, Oscar-calibre performance.

Intercutting present-day Bush with flashbacks of his formative years, Stone effectively captures the key moments in Bush's life, from his years of alcohol abuse, to his tumultuous relationship with his father (played by James Cromwell), as well as his romantic life with his wife Laura (Elizabeth Banks), his conversion to Christianity, and ultimately his political ascent.

Stone's primary goal here, surprisingly enough, appears to be to humanise Bush, and largely, he succeeds. Stone is fair to note Bush's mistakes, yet balances this with demonstrating the difficulty of his job, both in terms of competing with his ever-squabbling cabinet, and subsequently having to decipher their squabbling into something tangible the American people can understand.

With a lesser cast, W. could very well have malformed as an unintentional comedy (as the marketing initially suggested), yet Stone's immaculate roster gives this film unremitting buoyancy. Of the supporting cast, James Cromwell delivers a typically reliable performance as George H.W. Bush, whilst Richard Dreyfuss is almost unrecognisable in his superb turn as leering Vice President Vick Cheney. Particular mention must also go to Thandie Newton, who, in portraying Condoleezza Rice, remains the film's prime source of comic relief. Jeffrey Wright also demonstrates his acting chops beyond the role of Felix Leiter in the "new Bond" series, and in playing the role of Secretary of State Colin Powell, is easily the most instantly recognisable of Bush's cabinet, accurately replicating the man's presence

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