Special Relationship (HBO Films) [Blu-ray]

This is a great TV Movie ! A very interesting subject matter is tackled by fine screenplay writers and great cast.I really enjoyed watching this when it first aired on the BBC & was delighted to see it released so soon on DVD.So all credit to HBO Films & the BBC for that sound decision.Michael Sheen is a fine character actor who has done Tony Blair,David Frost,Brian Clough and Kenneth Williams in a truly convincing way.You begin to see that even prior to the arrival in the Whitehouse of George W Bush that Tony Blair believed in what he regarded as Just Wars against evil.It is interesting to hear dialogue that while not necessarily 100% true does contain truths about the people uttering those words.I liked the disclaimer at the start which kind of points that out -the honesty improves the crediblity of the films message about the Clinton-Blair Alliance.So as ever with my reviews I end by saying that it is a fine TV Movie which Amazon.co.uk are selling for a very fair price.So if you are interested in recent political history and are a fan of Michael Sheen then I cannot recommend this DVD too highly.So don't delay-buy today !P.S.I would love to see Josh Brolin as Bush & Michael Sheen as Blair in a TV Movie about the aftermath of the Iraq War.Both actors are superb in those roles and that subject deserves a serious TV Movie about it.Lets hope that HBO Films & the BBC get cracking and give us an excellent film.

Engaging, well-written and even-handed, 'The Special Relationship' is another film to add to the list of good political dramas of the last five years. The film's focus, though, differs to most other political dramas in that it is largely low-key and family based; an interesting tack that allows the film to showcase Bill Clinton's admittance of his infidelity to the beleaguered Hilary (a superb Hope Davis), and Blair's personal struggle to gain popularity and political power; being the junior partner of the relationship at the film's opening, in a more personal context. Indeed, this family-oriented setting provides a solid backdrop to the revelations on everything from the Lewinski affair to Northern Ireland; and the approach of seeing how it may have affected the Blair and Clinton households gives the film an interesting and original extra dimension. The performances as a whole are good; Dennis Quaid grows into his role of Clinton well, and Michael Sheen is decent, if a little meek as Tony Blair; whilst the supporting cast (Hope Davis in particular) are very solid. 'The Special Relationship' is also a film which looks great, especially on Blu-Ray; with it's panoramic shots of the White House, the intimate scenes of Downing Street's kitchen, and the faux-'90s press-conference style footage. Though there's nothing incredible about 'The Special Relationship', it is a very good and insightful political piece that will strongly appeal to anyone interested in the PM/President political dynamic, or politics in general.

This film was made for television, the third in a series about the career of Tony Blair, the other two being The Deal and The Queen. It is about Blair's relationship with Bill Clinton. At first, he was Clinton's inferior but the scandals associated with Clinton allowed Blair to become his equal and moral superior. I love this kind of film because it makes people one has only heard of and seen as a public figure into real human beings and allows one to enter into the dynamics which actually shape history. Michael Sheen is really good in this role, and he shows Blair's complexities with a sure touch. Dennis Quaid is excellent as Clinton.

The script is good and the film is well made, but it's really the casting that makes this so worthwhile. Michael Sheen is excellent in his third film as Tony Blair. Dennis Quaid might not look much like Bill Clinton, but he certainly sounds the part and Hope Davis is very convincing as the First Lady.Whether the Blu Ray format adds much to this type of docudrama is debateable, but I would recommend this film however you see it. To those not overly-familiar with UK politics, perhaps it's worth watching The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship in order.

I wasn't really following things at the time so this was a good education.Tony Blair came over as a bit of a lightweight in this drama but well worth watching.

I watched the 3 dvds in this trilogy back-to-back, and this final film is definitely the poor relation of the three. There's no gripping storyline, little tension and hardly any of that black humour that sparked through the previous films ('The Deal' and 'The Queen'). It comes across as just a series of significant incidents during Blair's and Clinton's leaderships, when they leant on each other for support and guidance. The most moving scene was of Blair quoting the Biblical passage from Ruth: "Whither thou goest..." - and even then I felt manipulated as Blair actually said this during a formal State Dinner rather than at a Presidential press conference in front of a pack of ravening reporters.Expensively and convincingly staged, with great locations and lighting, but quite muffled sound and no subtitles to help out (which is pretty poor given that the dvd was released in 2010). Sheen does his usual perky take on Blair but I found Dennis Quaid much too grumpy to put across the real Clinton charm. Altogether a bit of a let-down.

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I didn't realise Micheal Sheen had done another film as Tony Blair, and as I had The Queen, I thought I give this a look, and I'm glad I did its very interesting, and nice to see some of the cast from The Queen keeping their roles. If you liked The Queen, although this story is different I'd say its worth a viewing

Thought this would play in our area (Australia 4) but did not.

Peter Morgan, spécialiste d'adaptation pour l'écran d'histoires réelles ( Rush , Le dernier roi d'Ecosse , Frost/Nixon ) avait écrit une trilogie sur ce fascinant politique et homme d'Etat que fut Tony Blair. L'un de ces trois films eut même les honneurs du cinéma, et public et critiques furent d'accord pour l'encenser (à raison). Helen Mirren y gagna même un oscar de la meilleure actrice. Il s'agit bien sûr de  The Queen . Le personnage de la Reine Elisabeth II en était bien entendu le centre, mais nombreux furent ceux que surprit l'importance du personnage de Blair dans ses premiers mois au pouvoir, importance soulignée par la qualité de l'interprétation de Michael Sheen. Mais si l'on replace ce film dans le cadre de la trilogie de Morgan, alors les choses prennent tout leur sens. The Queen n'est "que" le deuxième film de ce projet plus vaste; le premier,  The deal  (non trouvable en France), raconte les premières années en politique du jeune Tony et son ascension jusqu'à la tête du Parti Travailliste; le troisième, c'est justement The special relationship, où un Tony Blair plus mature s'impose comme un acteur majeur de la diplomatie européenne, grâce à sa grande complicité avec Bill Clinton, qui lui apporte un soutien au poids énorme. Dans chacun d'eux, Blair doit composer avec un personnage de grande importance (respectivement Gordon Brown, Elisabeth II, Bill Clinton). Pour ne rien gâcher, Stephen Frears réalisa les deux premiers, et Richard Loncraine ( Wimbledon ) se chargea du troisième : voilà deux réalisateurs expérimentés pour mener à bien ce projet ambitieux. Et surtout, Michael Sheen accepta de camper trois fois le même personnage. Chaque film a son ton et son âme propre, mais l'ensemble offre un panorama extraordinaire de la vie politique occidentale de la fin XXème.Plus spécifiquement, The special relationship introduit un Bill Clinton plus vrai que nature sous les traits de Dennis Quaid. Celui-ci est parvenu à adopter un ton et un timbre de voix proches de ceux de l'ancien président américain. En seconds rôles, Hope Davis assure avec classe la partition d'Hillary Clinton, et Helen McCrory reprend son rôle de Chérie Blair de The Queen (une autre actrice jouait ce rôle dans The deal). On retiendra surtout trois moments forts de l'actualité internationale et la façon dont ils furent influencés par le tandem Clinton-Blair : l'élection du Premier Ministre, la crise yougoslave et le scandale Lewinski. C'est un réel plaisir de redécouvrir l'essentiel de ces événements de façon plus condensée, et avec des interprètes de cette qualité. Ceux qui ont aimé The Queen ne devraient pas être déçus, même si The special relationship se situe un cran en-dessous en termes de tension (principalement à cause du morcellement de l'action couvrant une chronologie plus longue). Quant à ceux qui ont eu la chance de voir The Deal, ils ne doivent pas passer à côté de cette impeccable conclusion d'une trilogie rare par son ampleur et son ambition. RushLe dernier roi d'EcosseFrost/NixonThe QueenThe dealWimbledon