The Deal (2003) ***

The Deal chronicles the ascension of Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) to the eventual role of Prime Minister over long time Labour Party favorite Gordon Brown (David Morrissey) and the toll it takes on their close friendship. Made by the same creative who would eventually produce The Queen, where Sheen again plays Blair, The Deal is a gripping account of these friends turned opponents as they both seek the big job that every politician in Great Britain aspires to obtain. The film chronicles the relationship between these two men, from that first meeting when they were forced to share an overly cramped office to the day the titular deal is made that would see Blair elevated to Party Leader, and eventually to Prime Minister, with a promise to step aside after one term for Gordon. Several years are portrayed on screen rather quickly and perhaps the film could have benefited from a greater length to go more in-depth into the friendship between these two men. Almost from the start the eventual divide over the race for Labour Party Leader is revealed and little is seen aside from some brief vignettes at the beginning of the build-up of the friendship.

What is done extremely well however is to show the sting of betrayal once Blair makes his move toward the position which Gordon had always assumed would be his. The break-down of their friendship is powerful as personal ambitions start to overcome years of loyalty. The cracks begin to show right after the death of John Smith (Frank Kelly), who right before his passing confided to Gordon that perhaps Tony would provide a better future for the party than Gordon. Gordon has been a dedicated party man from a young age, where he would hand out pamphlets on the street. He's always operated under the assumption that by keeping his head down, towing the party line and holding a strict belief in the chain of command would eventually lead to his being anointed to the Leader position.

Blair is presented as the opposite, a maverick who finds issues that are passionate to him and speaks out against them with the fury that Gordon appears to be lacking. When Smith is the presumptive nominee for the Leader position following the resignation of the incumbent, Blair boldly suggests that Gordon should usurp that belief and make a run for it of his own. Blair sees Gordon as a better candidate for the position and Smith as more of the same which has not led them to a majority in Parliament. Election after election where Labour is believed to make the gains necessary to take control, they are left devastated when they come up short time and time again. Blair pushes Gordon to make a change that could assure them of that elusive victory, but his loyalty to the line of succession prevents him from making a move. It's this lack of ambition that motivates Tony to make his own play following Smith's death.

The film tries to remain neutral but it is hard not to feel for Gordon as he has always assumed the mantle would pass to him and only at the last second, when he destiny was about to be fulfilled, it's yanked from him by someone who's only been around for the past few years. To be fair, Blair is initially torn about jumping into the ring when Gordon is assuming an uncontested election, but as his wife assures him he had his chance when Smith was confirmed as Party Leader. He truly believes he is doing what is best for the party and has more appeal that can lead them to that victory in Parliament they have always wanted. Gordon has now become more of the same, someone who is falsely believed will lead the party to a victory, much like his last two predecessors and it's well known what happened in those elections.

Gordon is forced to watch as his own party, that which he has devoted his life to, begins to rally around this upstart, someone looking for the prestige and not the chance to push forward traditional party policy. He's told that by running against Tony now, he could damage the party unity and cost them a victory. How difficult it must be to hear that the job you always knew would be yours, is said to belong to someone else now and making a run for it will only hurt the party he has spent his life working for. The final conversation between the two is laced with bitterness and tension, Blair's anointing is not assured and needs Gordon's endorsement to prevent the party from tearing itself apart while Gordon can make a run but will most likely lose to Blair, ruining his chances for a future chance and also the whole party divided argument. They are able to come to a mutual decision but it looks as if politics has quite possibly ruined the friendship forged in that cramped office years before.

Favorite moment: The first face to face confrontation between Gordon and Blair is a powerful explosion of emotion once Gordon discovers that Blair is throwing his hat into the ring while he is busy preparing for Smith's funeral. All the buried feelings over the years come out at once and Gordon is at a loss at how his close friend could do this to him, something they both agreed that Gordon was best suited to when they were first starting out. It's the beginning of the end for these two as friends and the start of the political maneuvering that is about to take place.