DVD Review: “Recount”
Rating: 80
Face it, the movie industry has big problems if the only way for Jay Roach’s stunning “Recount” to get a decent airing is as a TV movie on HBO. Roach’s journalistically precise account of the battle over hanging chads, county-by-county tallies and bourgeois riots in Florida at the end of the 2000 election is a tightly wound drama of political gamesmanship. It is so good that “Recount” could credibly play as a double feature with “All the President’s Men.”
“Recount” is set up as a steady chronology of weirdness: Florida is called for Vice President Al Gore, but is then taken out of the blue column. Gore concedes to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, but withdraws his concession when the vote difference falls within percentage fractions. It falls to a battle of political will between Gore counsel Ron Klain (Kevin Spacey) and Bush lawyer James Baker III (Tom Wilkinson) as “Recount” delivers genuine thrills and dark humor thanks to a gripping, detail-laden script by Danny Strong.
Director Roach’s pacing and superb turns by Spacey, Wilkinson, Denis Leary and especially Laura Dern as Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris results in an unusual trick: “Recount” actually creates suspense around a historical event. Every sentient person in America knows how this resolves, but Democrats will view “Recount” as a tragedy, Republicans will see it as confirmation of solid strategy, and no one will be bored.
— George Lang
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is there a director’s commentary or any other nifty extras on the DVD? I loved this movie.