The Contender

Name: The Contender
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: 2000-10-13
Duration: 2 h 6 min
Rating: 6.7
Cast: Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott

2000·Movie·R·126 min·★ 6.7(265)

Drama Thriller More English titles

“Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot.”

The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. When Senator Laine Hanson is nominated as the first woman in history to hold the office, hidden agendas explode into a battle for power.

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Where to watch The Contender in United States

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Click a service to open The Contender there. Availability last verified on June 21, 2026.

Where is The Contender streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy, Hoopla, Fawesome, The Roku Channel	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
United Kingdom	Pluto TV	Google Play Movies, YouTube
Canada	Hoopla, Tubi TV	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Australia	Hoopla	Google Play Movies, YouTube
Germany	Thrillbox Amazon Channel, Netzkino	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Brazil	Belas Artes à La Carte	—
Japan	Amazon Prime Video, U-NEXT, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Amazon Video, FOD
South Korea	wavve	wavve

About The Contender

The Contender is a 2000 English-language drama and thriller film directed by Rod Lurie. The cast is led by Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges. It has a runtime of 2h 6m. Viewers rate it 6.7/10 across 300 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, Fawesome.

The Contender was produced by Cinerenta, Cinecontender Internationale, and Battleplan Productions and made in Germany and United Kingdom. It was released on October 13, 2000, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $20 million, it went on to gross $22 million worldwide.

Director: Rod Lurie
Writers: Rod Lurie
Release date: October 13, 2000
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: Germany, United Kingdom
Budget: $20 million
Box office: $22 million
Production: Cinerenta, Cinecontender Internationale, Battleplan Productions

#usa president#washington dc, usa#government#politics#sex scandal#vice president

The Contender cast & crew

The Contender was directed by Rod Lurie and written by Rod Lurie.

The cast features Joan Allen as Laine Hanson, Gary Oldman as Shelly Runyon, Jeff Bridges as President Jackson Evans, Christian Slater as Reginald Webster, Sam Elliott as Kermit Newman, and William L. Petersen as Jack Hathaway.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Larry Groupé, cinematography is by Denis Maloney, and it was produced by Marc Frydman and Douglas Urbanski.

Is The Contender worth watching?

The Contender holds an audience score of 6.7/10 from 265 ratings, a solidly received drama films.

At 2h 6m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama and thriller, The Contender is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Contender

In United States, you can stream The Contender on Kanopy, Hoopla, Fawesome, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV, or rent and buy it on Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.