The original version of this film was a very disturbing film due to the fact that it was at the height of the cold war and that it was during the time when America and the world faced its greatest crisis in the Cuban Missile Crisis and due to the fact that one short year after the original was released, President Kennedy was assassinated.
The main difference between this film and the original was that the original villains were the Communists and the villains in this film is big business. The Manchurian Corporation pretty much could be seen as stand-ins for not only Halleburton, but also could be seen as a stand in for many other corporate entities that pretty much want to wield influence in our government.
Another way this film works is as a strong psychological thriller. You pretty much have the troops brainwashed much as they were in the original, only it is more technologically based. However, the thing that really made this film as creepy as it was, was the relationship between Raymond and his mother. In the original, Raymond's mother was nothing more than a manipulative harpy who would stop at nothing to make sure she and her husband became the next president. However, in this version the film goes even farther by even implying that Mrs. Shaw (Mrs. Iselin in the original) almost has an incestuous obsession with her son. This is what really distinguishes this film from the original.
This definitely is one of top thrillers of the year.
