I think that a true biopic about the action hero we all grew up with who then become one of the country's most influential and recognized political leaders deserves an epic biopic (straight to DVD much like this one but still well done.) I thought maybe that is what I would get when watching this but I was sorely disappointed. Not because the film was worthwhile or mildly entertaining but because the potential for something so much greater existed and you could just feel how much they slapped this mess together without a second though or trying to actually make it fit together. The casting in the forefront role was horrendous and ridiculous...picked solely on the point that he has a German accent I think. The story is rushed and the idea is actually brilliant...comparing Arnold's drive to become Mr. Universe and essentially a Hollywood star with his drive to become Governor against all obstacles. They use flashbacks, sometimes brutally brief flashbacks to compare the two situations. Then they cover some of the more well known scandals of Arnold's campaign but were they really dealt with so easily and calmly?
Jürgen Prochnow may be a respected Hollywood actor from yesteryear with great credits including Das Boot, Dune and The English Patient but him playing Arnold Schwarzenegger is like watching a fish learn how to drive a car. He's awful. He maybe vaguely resembles Arnold in the face but he is a puny man (as Arnold would say) and has no body at all which Schwarzenegger still sports in his sixties. His accent is god awful, you can just hear him desperately trying to sound like him and failing. A total wash for Prochnow in this role. Now let's talk the true star of this film who doesn't get his just kudos. Roland Kickinger is absolutely jaw droppingly brilliant as the young Schwarzenegger building himself for Mr. Universe. He sounds like him, looks like him, and acts like him to a nearly frightening degree. Apparently others agreed as he has now been cast in Arnold's infamous role as The Terminator in the upcoming Terminator 4 (although rumor has Arnold's face and voice being superimposed over Kickinger's.) In this film he definitely shines as one of the top performers!! Mariel Hemingway does a solid job as Maria Shriver, although her character is left a little bland and doesn't really get the best of the role but she does a good job. I have to mention that Kristen Shaw also does a god awful impression of what Barbara Walters supposedly sounds like...it's a complete joke.
See Arnold Run is a C+ essay on Schwarzenegger's political career. It touches on key points but never goes into any detail. It doesn't offer any really intelligent commentary but gives you the surface story which makes for a decent TV flick but nothing you'll hang on to for very long. You have some really awful performances on one hand but on the other you have some really astounding performances on the other so it's a trade off I suppose. If you're a politics nut like myself then you'll have to see it and you'll mostly agree with what I'm saying but if you think you're in for watching an actor portray a Hollywood legend you'll be sorely disappointed. It does however give me hope that I will play Tom Cruise in his made for TV biopic Cruise Missile...because that would be just as far fetched as Jürgen Prochnow in his role. 7/10
Jürgen Prochnow may be a respected Hollywood actor from yesteryear with great credits including Das Boot, Dune and The English Patient but him playing Arnold Schwarzenegger is like watching a fish learn how to drive a car. He's awful. He maybe vaguely resembles Arnold in the face but he is a puny man (as Arnold would say) and has no body at all which Schwarzenegger still sports in his sixties. His accent is god awful, you can just hear him desperately trying to sound like him and failing. A total wash for Prochnow in this role. Now let's talk the true star of this film who doesn't get his just kudos. Roland Kickinger is absolutely jaw droppingly brilliant as the young Schwarzenegger building himself for Mr. Universe. He sounds like him, looks like him, and acts like him to a nearly frightening degree. Apparently others agreed as he has now been cast in Arnold's infamous role as The Terminator in the upcoming Terminator 4 (although rumor has Arnold's face and voice being superimposed over Kickinger's.) In this film he definitely shines as one of the top performers!! Mariel Hemingway does a solid job as Maria Shriver, although her character is left a little bland and doesn't really get the best of the role but she does a good job. I have to mention that Kristen Shaw also does a god awful impression of what Barbara Walters supposedly sounds like...it's a complete joke.
See Arnold Run is a C+ essay on Schwarzenegger's political career. It touches on key points but never goes into any detail. It doesn't offer any really intelligent commentary but gives you the surface story which makes for a decent TV flick but nothing you'll hang on to for very long. You have some really awful performances on one hand but on the other you have some really astounding performances on the other so it's a trade off I suppose. If you're a politics nut like myself then you'll have to see it and you'll mostly agree with what I'm saying but if you think you're in for watching an actor portray a Hollywood legend you'll be sorely disappointed. It does however give me hope that I will play Tom Cruise in his made for TV biopic Cruise Missile...because that would be just as far fetched as Jürgen Prochnow in his role. 7/10