Stars: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Oliver Platt, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, Isaiah Washington

Director: Warren Beatty

Summary: A senator who believes that his political career is over decides to take out a contract on his own life. Now that his end is inevitable he begins to speak openly and honestly and finds himself to be flavour of the month. Finding a new love and a new lease of life he must now stop the contract from being fulfilled.

A surprisingly entertaining political comedy that features a funny and magnetic Beatty as the discouraged politician Bulworth, who has organized his own assassination but, after a three day bender of not sleeping, decides that he wants to live after all. He begins to tell the complete truth at all times, not caring about the potential repercussions of his offensive, yet honest, remarks. Oh yes, of course, and he starts rapping. It's a credit to Beatty that his change of heart seems so believable, and it is this performance that drives the film. All of the supporting players are solid as well, including Berry as a potential love interest who may have ulterior motives, and Platt, who is hysterical as a stressed-out, coked-up campaign aide. The film is an entertaining, well-paced romp that solidifies Beatty's presence as one of Hollywood's most vital and necessary voices.

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Jay Bulworth is your typical senator going through a nervous breakdown. The empty speeches, lies, money and pressure have led him to plan his own assassination on a weekend trip home to California just before the election. However, a cord snaps in him and like Jim Carrey's rambling lawyer in Liar, Liar, Bulworth can only tell the truth. This new freedom turns Bulworth on and he spews the ugly truth about politics: he tells mass media they are as corrupt as insurance companies; lambastes a black church for not having leaders; and riles the Jewish power elite of Hollywood. He enters South Central running away from advisors (including a bemused Oliver Platt) and mixing it up with a potential new girlfriend (Halle Berry) and a local boss (Don Cheadle). He offends across the board, even developing an inherent knack to rap his speeches. And the public loves it. The weekend becomes a clarifying point for Bulworth: he finds a reason to live.

Beatty's rude and relevant comedy is a one-joke movie but the joke is pretty good. It's a courageous film that is always sharp even though it loses narrative focus. Beatty's hilarious raps are so inspired they deserve repeated viewings. As usual, Beatty surrounds himself with a great crew, Ennio Morricone's music and Vittorio Storaro's cinematography being especially noteworthy. Beatty and Storaro even have the audacity to imitate two very famous photographs in the film's final seconds. The script by Beatty and Jeremy Pikser won the LA Film Critics award and was nominated for an Oscar. --Doug Thomas

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer, Scene Access, Interactive Menus, Biographies
Year:	1998
Release Date:	June 30, 2003
Runtime:	104 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	00511 D V D
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Wide, Screen, Bulworth
Genre:	Comedy