The Last Hurrah (1958)

The story of a multi-term, corrupt politician running in his last campaign isn’t particularly new. Even with John Ford at the helm and Spencer Tracy as the mayor of an unnamed New England town as the lead, this doesn’t offer much new to the genre. It hits many common notes: the political machine doing the dirty work of the campaign while the candidate is under the delusion it’s for the greater good, a young upstart using modern means to finally give the incumbent a run for his money, and the mayor using his power and influence in selfish and unselfish ways. It’s certainly a watchable political film, but there are more engaging ones out there.