Plot
A political strategist juggling three clients questions whether or not to take the high road as the ugly side of his work begins to haunt him.

Release Year: 2012

Rating: 4.1/10 (154 voted)

Critic's Score: 33/100

Director: Bill Guttentag

Stars: Rob Lowe, Jamie Chung, Julie Bowen

Storyline
If a political candidate is personally flawed, but stands to make a positive difference in millions of lives, would you help him win? That question looms over the life of "true believer" Paul Turner (Rob Lowe), a savvy strategist sharply maneuvering politicians out of scandal and into public office. With the help of a bright young assistant (Jamie Chung) and a seedy operative (Richard Schiff), Turner spins every news cycle and a shrewd reporter (Julie Bowen) on behalf of his clients: a philandering Kentucky governor (Eric McCormick), a blackmailed California senator (David Harbour), and an idealistic doctor turned gubernatorial candidate (Carrie-Anne Moss). When the ugly side of Turner's work begins to haunt him, he learns that even in the bloodiest of battles, sometimes you have to fight clean.

Writers: Bill Guttentag, Chris Lehane

Cast:
Jennifer Morrison - Angela
Jamie Chung - Kerstin
Rob Lowe - Paul Turner
Julie Bowen - Peaches
Carrie-Anne Moss - Penelope
Amanda Crew - Helena
Saffron Burrows - Sophia
Richard Schiff - Dimitris
Eric McCormack - Larry
Toni Staniewicz - Penelope's Aide
Catherine Kim Poon - Church goer
Frances Shaw - Samantha (as Frankie Shaw)
David Harbour - Stephen
Shirley Manson - Nicole
Michelle Krusiec - Shannon

Taglines: When it comes to getting elected, there's no such thing as going too far.

Release Date: 3 Jan 2012

Filming Locations: Bay Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $7,000,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Originally slated to release around November 2012 presidential election in the USA.

User Review

Looks good to me!! Effective!

Rating: 6/10

The movie, at 99 minutes, feels long and suffers from having too many characters, most of them underdeveloped, and from juggling multiple story lines. "Knife Fight" offers a crowded canvas, but one that still seems more of a rough sketch than a detailed, completed painting.

In Turner's moments of crisis, he sits down clandestinely with an older independent investigator who digs up the dirt so his hands stay clean. That character's played with a salt-and-pepper beard by Richard Schiff, in a mini-"West Wing" reunion, and the two of them have an easy rat-a-tat chemistry that comes naturally from old friends (or, in this case, people who spent multiple years together on a television series). These scenes crackle with low-key wit, the two of them intellectually appealing as they map out otherwise barbaric plans. It's a hint of the cutthroat, honest movie "Knife Fight" could have been, and not the compromised, wet blanket lecture for which it settles.

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