--- title: "The Contender: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-contender/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-contender" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Contender (2000): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 9 reviews: 2 positive, 6 mixed, 1 negative. The reviews lean towards qualified approval, with praise clustering around the performances rather than the political plotting. Joan Allen is the clearest point of agreement: critics repeatedly single out her authority, while Jeff Bridges and Gary Oldman also receive praise. Even several less enthusiastic assessments find the Washington manoeuvring entertaining, crediting the ensemble with making the characters feel human amid the speeches and power-brokering. Reservations centre on schematic storytelling and a final stretch that several critics find damaging to the drama; Total Film also objects to the overbearing score. The spread is wide: the Evening Standard warmly embraces the suspenseful political melodrama, while The Guardian finds it dramatically unconvincing and politically misleading despite a plausible start. The disagreement extends to its political intelligence: Eye for Film praises precisely its avoidance of stereotypes and simplistic politics. Performances command broader agreement than the film’s ideas. ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the film hugely entertaining and praises its suspenseful political melodrama. They single out how character-driven performances make the political machinations feel human. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-contender-7433446.html) ## Variety — Emanuel Levy Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2000. Levy finds the film a clear improvement over Rod Lurie’s debut, though its verbose, schematic storytelling limits its political ambitions. He singles out Joan Allen’s commanding performance and the talented ensemble as the film’s chief strengths. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/the-contender-2-1200464324/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2000. The review’s verdict and specific praise or complaints cannot be determined from the available page. The article text was inaccessible, so its assessment is unknown. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/13/movies/film-review-those-strange-bedfellows-haunt-a-politician.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The available page metadata identifies this as a review, but provides no verdict. No specific element is available to identify as praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-contender) ## Empire — Bob McCabe Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review finds the film entertaining and well-crafted overall, but says it falters badly in its final moments. It praises the performances, especially those of Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen and Gary Oldman. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/contender-review/) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 3/5. Parkinson finds the film an assured, streetwise look at Washington power-brokering and increasingly base journalism. He praises Joan Allen’s Oscar-nominated performance and notes that Lurie wisely restrains Gary Oldman’s scene-stealing. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-28u2j8/the-contender/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 20 April 2001. The review calls the film flawed but enjoyable, despite a final stretch that undermines its drama. It praises the performances of Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, and Gary Oldman, while faulting the plot and overbearing score. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-contender-review/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2001. The review finds the film entertaining and plausible at first, but ultimately dramatically unconvincing and politically misleading. It praises Gary Oldman's performance as a seemingly honest, sincere reactionary. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,476416,00.html) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2001. The critic finds the film an intelligent, surprising political drama that avoids easy stereotypes and simplistic politics. Joan Allen’s performance is singled out for its natural authority, with Gary Oldman also praised for his transformation. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-contender-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-contender.md