Whilst mostly the story of Dick Cheney, whose machinations made him a shadowy but supremely powerful Vice President to George W Bush, this film is also a very sharp social and political survey of the last few decades of the USA from Watergate to 9/11 and beyond. As Cheney and his wife Lynne, these are the type of character roles that Christian Bale and Amy Adams devour with relish, and indeed they are a pleasure to watch here, with a high-powered supporting cast led by Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell. McKay uses his same tricksy cinematic and storytelling stylings that he used in The Big Short which always keep the viewer interested (including a glorious fake ending at one point), but overall Vice is a little less compelling and shocking. Where it does score highly, however, is in conveying how much power can lie in the hands of so few people, and the shifting dominance in the Cheneys' relationship is intriguing, although sadly it is given less attention in the latter part of the film. Ultimately, Vice presents a heavily-selective, highly-orchestrated and singular viewpoint of events, which nevertheless makes for both entertaining and thoughtful viewing.
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