The Special Relationship

This film is about Tony Blair and his working relationship with Bill Clinton during Blair's years as the British Prime Minister.

Michael Sheen portrays Tony Blair in a confident manner, the differences in his character's radiance between the beginning and the end of the film is easily observable. Hope Davis deserves a special mention. I have always thought she looks like Hillary Clinton, and Hope Davis brilliantly portrays a strong, determined, and able lady that remarkably resembles Hillary Clinton.

A political film may fall into the trap of becoming propaganda, but "The Special Relationship" does not feel anything like that. It portrays the mutual support between the two countries' leaders. It is a engaging story that is remarkably told and acted.

Following the "secret" story of his election (The Deal) and his first major crisis (The Queen), writer Peter Morgan ends his unofficial Tony Blair trilogy with one of the most famous aspects of the man's political career: his friendship with US President Bill Clinton, and the hopes and problems that came with it.

The film, made as a co-production between BBC and HBO (where it premiered in May 2010, though it has been picked up for theatrical release in other countries), starts in slightly familiar territory, showing us Blair (played, once again, by Michael Sheen) before he was elected, and the same goes for Clinton (Dennis Quaid), who immediately befriends the British politician on the grounds that they have a lot in common: young (politically speaking), ambitious and eager to make a difference in their respective governments. Once both men are in office, the cooperation goes very smoothly, prompting the media - and the two friends themselves - to talk about a "special relationship" between America and Great Britain. However, like most relationships, it has to face some hard times, most notably the conflict in the former Jugoslavia and, on a more private front, the Lewinsky scandal, which drives a wedge between Bill and Hillary (Leslie Hope) and Tony and Cherie (Helen McCrory, reprising her role from The Queen).

Like most of Morgan's work, The Special Relationship puts a lot of emphasis on character and performance, especially Sheen who, by now, wears Blair's clothes and mannerisms like they were a second skin, a fact that becomes more evident when archive footage is used to show the man's first encounter with a very different Commander in Chief (one George W. Bush), and he's ably assisted by the excellent Quaid who, having already played a President in American Dreamz, gets past the not-so-perfect physical resemblance between himself and the real Clinton to deliver a fully formed portrayal of a flawed, but very charismatic individual. On the female side, Hope is the usual guarantee of quality, while McCrory is a bit of a revelation, taking advantage of the increase in screen-time she has been granted compared to The Queen.

That said, the film is probably the least dramatically poignant of the trilogy. Maybe it has to do with the change in the director's chair (goodbye Stephen Frears, hello Richard Loncraine), but the real reason is the excessive familiarity of the material: whereas The Deal and The Queen dealt with the unseen (and largely fictionalized) side of their respective stories, The Special Relationship centers around a piece of Anglo-American history that has been widely covered multiple times, meaning there's very little on screen, no matter how entertaining, that people haven't heard of before.

Overall, a slightly underwhelming but consistently amusing look at the workings of English and US politics, propelled by a flawless double act and some Aaron Sorkin-like writing. If this is the last we'll see of Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, one thing is clear: it's been a very pleasant experience.

7,5/10

The main point of interest in "The Special Relationship" is in my opinion the changing status throughout the film of the strong friendship between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Ahead of his election Blair is portrayed as a fan of the US President, appreciating Clinton's advice and the fact that Bill has taken a great interest in his career. At the beginning they both appear to share a genuine mutual friendship whereas, as both their careers progress, the relationship does deeply change. The Special Relationship is a good dramatization of the America/Great Britain relationships during those very important years. However I had the impression that the film, though well acted and directed, would be more suitable for the TV rather than for the big screen. Overall it's about an insightful representation of UK/US relations, depicted through the exploration of a bromance and, more than everything, a glimpse of the real Tony Blair. Not unforgettable but a quality story for sure.

As we are about to attack another country under the guise of protecting human rights, this HBO movie hits the spot. Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, two fake progressives, shape the world according to their interests and political advantages. Tony Blair, as portrayed in this flick, is a naive, almost comical in his ineptitude, character. After all the unfulfilled promises and outright lies it is not surprising how unpopular he became in Great Britain. Blindly following both American presidents, but all this time building his own legacy. And he built it all right. When he left the office his approval rating was embarrassingly low. After the horrendous war campaign waged on Serbia in 1999 ( based on intentionally inflated numbers of victims, that were never found), and attack on Iraq( based on non-existing WMD), Mr. Blair is lucky that he didn't end up on trial for war crimes himself. God help us all with leaders like these people.

So, as far as the film stands as a film, it is ok, decent acting, some nice shots all in all, a film.

Now, the reality of what happened is not portrayed here, Tony Blair seems to be the generic good guy just trying his best whereas in the real world the only reason these men aren't in prison for war crimes is because we would then have to openly admit that we invaded a country based on lies, which will never happen.

So if you can watch this as a work of fiction it becomes much better, but essentially just a film to stroke the ego's of war criminals to try and justify their actions.