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‘Vice’ Traces Dick Cheney’s Ascent From Yale Dropout To D.C. Power Player

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was the quintessential behind-the-scenes political power player. “He really has no signature speech — there’s no great Dick Cheney moment where he was in front of a pulpit delivering a great line,” says filmmaker Adam McKay. “He’s always kind of just been in the background.”

McKay aims to bring the powerful former vice president into the foreground in his new film, Vice, a dark comedy starring Christian Bale. The movie combines the work of investigative journalists with some speculation and comedy (McKay also directed Anchorman and The Big Short) to tell the story of Cheney’s ascent from Yale dropout, to West Wing operative under president George W. Bush.

“I think a lot of the ways that people like Cheney have gained power is that they rely on us being bored. They rely on us looking at what they do and assuming that it’s just bureaucracy and who cares?” McKay says. But, “when you really dig into it, it’s very exciting stuff. And it’s major stuff that changes the world.”