Dick Cheney was one of the most powerful vice presidents in the history of our country. With a passive George W. Bush as president, he was able to manipulate him as he saw appropriate, and depending on who watches the film, this is a scary notion.

Christian Bale (“Hostiles”) was cast to play the former vice president in the film “Vice.” With a lot of makeup, he was miraculously transformed to look exactly like Cheney in this dramatic biography. Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”), with a little bit less makeup than Bale, was transformed into Cheney’s wife. The production design and makeup department was by far one of the most impressive aspects of the film.

No description or trailer will prepare viewers for “Vice.” The genre, according to IMDB, is a combination of a biography, drama and comedy. It is a narrative film, meaning there is a main character with a goal the story follows. The editing style and voice-over, however, makes it feel more experimental than anything else. The narrator (Jesse Plemons, “Game Night”), a man whose identity is kept secret until the end of the film, is often shown addressing the audience and explaining words that characters used on screen. This was a corny way of exhibition, but for creativity purposes and the identity of the narrator, it was not a horrible choice.

The comedy came in the most unexpected and deadpan ways. A lot of the film is spent cringing at the blatant disregard for the constitution and the decisions that he and other politicians made. Every few minutes, however, there would be an extremely unexpected joke that would rip a laugh from the viewer. Moments later, as though they did not know they made a joke, the topic would be switched to something more serious, like the sexual orientation of his daughter and how that would affect his political career.

The film, as a whole, was very well thought out and executed. The implementing of the narrator in the film was brilliant and tied everything into a perfect metaphorical bow. It was unexpected and interesting, but it was not something that one would see from the average Hollywood film. Being addressed by the characters multiple times, for an audience member, could be a little unnerving, but for the most part, it was well executed enough to be interesting. The ending monologue delivered by Bale was a little cringe-worthy. The acting was good, but something about being directly spoken to by Cheney was a little too much to make a perfect ending.

The brightest spot of the film was the editing. It was edited almost as a documentary, with images of what they were talking about illustrated to enhance understanding. Each of the images were expertly selected to outline whatever topic the narrator was teaching viewers about. It felt a little disjointed at first, but once the viewer realizes it was not a traditional narrative film, it will flow more naturally.

As a whole, the film was very well executed, shot and edited. Some of the transitions between a passive versus a manipulative Cheney felt rushed, but for the most part, the script expertly captured how much of a traditional Slytherin Cheney was. At the end of the film, viewers may try to sleep and imagine Bale as Dick Cheney hovering over their beds to scare them some more.

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