director :   warren beatty cast :   warren beatty , sean astin , halle berry , don cheadle , laurie metcalf , oliver platt , paul sorvino , jack warden screenplay :   warren beatty , jeremy pikser producers :   warren beatty , pieter jan brugge , lauren shuler-donner runtime :   us distribution :   20th century fox rated r :   language , violence , drug use by nathaniel r . atcheson ( <a href= " mailto : nate@pyramid . net " >nate@pyramid . net</a> ) when bulworth ended , i allowed myself a sigh of relief :   it is possible for me to enjoy political satire .   there have been several recent political films that didn't do a whole lot for me -- wag the dog , for instance , i found to be an intelligent but heartless film , while primary colors is unbearable and unwatchable in its awfulness .   bulworth is a far better film than these , both in its execution and lasting impression .   it's a tremendously funny and intelligent picture , but it also has an emotional center -- writer/director/star warren beatty allows the audience to identify with his character , and , in turn , we like him and actually care about the story .   beatty plays incumbent democratic senator jay billington bulworth ; the film opens and we see bulworth sobbing as he watches his television spots over and over again .   he hasn't slept in days , nor has he eaten , and , almost instantaneously , he goes insane .   he's not stark raving mad ( not outright , anyway ) , but he's definitely bonkers .   it's the final weekend of his campaign , and his assistant , murphy ( oliver platt ) has written him a speech to feed to a group of black people in a church in the ghetto .   bulworth begins the speech , but suddenly goes off track and just starts being honest .   " you mean , " one lady asks , " the democratic party doesn't care about the african american community ? "   " well , " he shouts , laughing , " isn't that obvious ? " the story is propelled by a device in which bulworth puts out a contract on his own life ( he muses later that it's a bad thing to make decisions when you're suicidal ) ; he keeps seeing a man in sunglasses ( graham beckel ) whom he believes to be the hitman .   bulworth also meets nina ( halle berry ) with whom he becomes infatuated .   suddenly , in the short span of this weekend , bulworth's no-nonsense " truth in politics " methods become a national sensation , and he shoots ahead in the polls despite the fact that he's appearing on television wearing gang clothes and spewing more profanity than coherent sentences . beatty's work on both sides of the camera is excellent .   his script and direction are both extremely sharp , as is the surprisingly strong characterization of bulworth himself .   here is a man who's reached his limit , and his way of lashing back is by screwing over the entire political structure .   i like that the film doesn't take a clear shot at any of the political parties or affiliations , but at politics in general and how everything is run by the rich ( although the anti-rich sentiments do get a bit tiresome by the end of the film ) .   some of the segments are simply hilarious , such as a lengthy rap that he delivers at a luncheon dedicated to him .   much of the film is completely absurd , but that's the fun part about it .   it's an angry , serious film at the core , but the package that beatty has created is so much more accessible than recent attempts in the genre .   what adds to this feeling is beatty's portrayal of bulworth ; this is a performance that deserves recognition on a higher scale .   beatty is so much fun to watch here -- he's always funny , but he's also subtle in ways that flesh out his character without dialogue or hugely noticeable actions .   beatty is so good that bulworth , despite his shortcomings as a human being , is an entirely sympathetic and likable character almost from the beginning . the supporting cast is vast and colorful .   berry is luminous , as always , and adds to her repertoire of solid supporting roles .   don cheadle has a good role as a drug dealer who uses gun-toting toddlers to do his dirty work .   oliver platt is an actor who should be careful , for someday i fear he may induce a heart attack with the intensity of his acting ( though he's very funny to watch ) .   paul sorvino adds the southern accent to his list of mastered inflections . is bulworth offensive ?   i suppose some may see it that way .   i wasn't offended by the film , but then again , i hardly care about politics .   i think that people who find this film offensive will just be blindsided by the honesty of the story .   the film isn't perfect , of course -- the ending didn't quite work for me , and the a few of the scenes between bulworth and nina feel forced ( although the eclectic dance sequence is fantastic ) .   but these are minor quibbles about an otherwise brilliant film .   bulworth is a smart , uproariously funny picture that proves to me that political satire can scratch far deeper than the surface .   
