THE UNTOLD TRUE STORY THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY.

In 2015, Adam McKay successfully depicted the 2008 financial crisis in The Big Short; this is another satirical look at a dark chapter in American political history. The rise of Dick Cheney gets a completely irreverent treatment, with amusingly dim-witted and mean-spirited performances by Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell as W. and Rummy.

McKay may be guilty of overreaching at times, trying to cram too much into one movie, but he gets valid points across about the corruption of power. His playful approach does wonders for the material.

Amy Adams is a fiercely convincing Lynne; Christian Bale disappears completely into his shocking transformation. 

2018-U.S. 132 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Adam McKay. Music: Nicholas Britell. Makeup: Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe, Patricia DeHaney. Cast: Christian Bale (Dick Cheney), Amy Adams (Lynne Cheney), Steve Carell (Donald Rumsfeld), Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry, Alison Pill, Jesse Plemons, Eddie Marsan, Alfred Molina, Naomi Watts, Bill Camp. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Will Ferrell, McKay and Brad Pitt.

Oscar: Best Makeup and Hair. Golden Globe: Best Actor (Bale). BAFTA: Best Editing. 

Last word: “I just kept reading and researching, and the deeper I would dig, the more interesting it would get. Oh, my God, this guy was like a Zelig. He was there for this giant change in history, the Reagan revolution, and eventually got his hands on a captain’s wheel. And then of course, his wife, Lynne Cheney, what a massive force she is, and their love story. When I realized that the root of the movie is a love story, I started thinking, ‘Hey, we may have something here.'” (McKay, Slashfilm)