Le Deal

It's 1994. Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) does a deal with Gordon Brown (David Morrissey) for the leadership of the Labour Party. Twelve years earlier, both Blair and Brown are new members after a Conservative landslide forced to share an office. The bombastic Brown rises quickly in the opposition ranks. The more personable Blair is slower but is Brown's confidant and close political ally. After a close but heartbreaking election in '92, Blair pushes Brown to run for the leadership but is rebuffed. Blair becomes more ambitious. Brown makes enemies in the party while Blair makes gains in popularity.

It's a fine docudrama about a couple of fascinating personalities. Both Sheen and Morrissey are well cast and great actors. It hits on the main points of history but it doesn't give the history life. Director Stephen Frears needs more personal moments between the two leads. The most compelling scenes are when Blair badgers Brown about his personal life and later when they start competing. This is a fine history. I wish Frears could dig deeper into the personalities and allow this to be even more Shakespearian.

In some ways, the story of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair is profoundly uninteresting. Two men with a similar political philosophy consider challenging for the leadership of the party, eventually decide not to compete with one another but subsequently (in events not covered by this film) fall out. Of course, there are many "what ifs", but politics is full of these. The absence of a philosophical clash, or a deep personal emnity, makes their deal in some senses trivial - one guy stood aside for the other, so what? If any other job than that of potential Prime Minister had been at stake, would anyone care? Because of that job, their decision clearly had some significance. But politicians make deals all the time with one another - and had we not a media obsessed with political minutiae, that history might well have been forgotten. According to the briefings, it certainly hasn't been forgotten by Brown - but that doesn't necessarily make it important.

Stephen Frears' film tries hard to reconstruct these events, but it fails to really gain life, telling us what we know already without really adding anything new. David Morrissey, as Brown, is less convincing than when given free rein to play a fictional politician as he did recently in 'State of Play'; Michael Sheen, as Blair, is always just a little bit more callow and hollow than the real thing. The story suggests there was little real friendship between the two, which reduces the tale to a series of empty manoeverings. And while it's fun to see representations of various political characters, we get too little sense of their whole lives. There are a few nice touches (Blair's instinctive family values, Brown's genuine grief at John Smith's death) but 'The Deal' still feels like a compilation of yesterday's newspapers. History will certainly remember both men, but their deal will surely rate only a footnote. For good or ill, Blair stood and won - and that's all we really need to know.

'The Deal' is a pretty good television movie, one that details British politics involving Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in the 80s and 90s. The best feature of it is the performances of David Morrissey (Brown) and Michael Sheen (Blair), both of whom are certainly excellent.

It does come across as a bit too chummy and re-enactment-y at times, as in some scenes are clearly the work of hearsay and rumour (albeit likely true). I don't necessarily mean that as a criticism, though. Overall, it is a well written film, I definitely enjoyed watching the thing; it's short as well.

Directed by Stephen Frears.

The beauty of 'The Deal' is clearly the story, and for many a surprising and unknown real story. Peter Morgan does what he does best again by keeping the screenplay no nonsense and captures the delicacies of the time brilliantly. While many who may have in depth knowledge of the matter could have differing opinions on its deviations from reality, the movie is a very fine quality drama from a team which has given gems like Queen and Frost/Nixon.

Michael sheen is fantastic again and David Morrissey is more impressive than sheen. A story very admirably directed and acted, this story captures politics and drama behind a real story joyfully - a match made in heaven!

Morgan's writing with Fresrs' direction create a mesmerizing film.

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown both want to be the Labour Party Prime Minister. John Smith , the Labour party leader, dies suddenly opening up a duel between Brown and Blair.

Blair played by Michael Sheen is great on TV. Brown is not as likeable. David Morrissey is the moody Brown. Blair had verbally said to Brown six years before Smith dies that he would be the next Labour leader. Brown didn't go against Smith and lost his chance. Paul Rhys is my favorite as the person who tells Brown he is no longer front runner "You are moody. Intolerant. You didn't do the ugly work of making and keeping friends." This film is part of a trilogy. The Queen is next. The Deal is as good or better than The Queen. The third one I will certainly see for these two are tops.