First of all...I loved it! This was my first classic movie going experience and I was able to see Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, James Gregory, and John McGiver in one fantastic movie. The Manchurian Candidate is about an experiment in brainwashing dreamed up and implemented by the communistic and anti-U.S. countries during the Korean War era. While not a true story, it did have a touch of McCarthyism in it that would please any history buff. The basic story line....how to take over the Presidency by getting rid of the President and future Presidential candidate via assassination and deception....today we do it by planting 21 year old interns throughout the White House (just kidding). I don't recall seeing Laurence Harvey in any other movie (although he has 57 films in his film biography), but he was great as the brainwashed future assassin. Frank Sinatra was Frank Sinatra....even if you don't remember old blue eyes, go see this film and your appreciation for him as an actor will definitely have a firm foundation. Now I must also say that Angela Lansbury as an evil woman is totally not what I ever imagined...she is totally hard core. Finally, I want to mention the Times Cinema...this is a great theater that brought back memories of going to the old Majestic Theater (Cudahy), the Garden (South Milwaukee), the Avalon (still operating in Bay View) and the Cinema 1 & 2 (Downtown)... you deserve a bit of nostalgia, a bit of history, and a touch of class...check out the Times Cinema...you'll be glad you did!

Director John Frankenheimer has put together a well-made psychologial thriller from 1962. \"The Manchurian Candidate\" is a thriller about an American infantry in Korea, who was captured by the chinese and they are brainwashed. Brainwashed as assassins. Frank Sinatra gave another great performance. But Angela Lansbury gave a rare villain performance. The music score worked very well, especially in the opening credits of the film. A brilliant film that broke all rules of how to make a thriller. \"The Manchurian Candidate\" is a must see.