In 2003 The Deal was released on British television and was the first in what would become the Tony Blair trilogy (The Queen and The Special Relationship would follow) featuring screenwriter Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen. The movie follows future prime ministers Gordon Brown (David Morrissey) and Tony Blair (Sheen) as they pair up as political allies in 1983, Brown as a recently elected member of Parliament for the struggling Labour Party and Blair as his fresh faced and adroit lawyer and assistant. Together they make radical changes for the country and strengthen the party, but as Blair's popularity grows and an unfortunate passing leaves an opening at the top of the party, the two must come to the title arrangement. This is another fine piece of cinema with another adept and witty script from Morgan and crafted finely by Stephen Frears who worked with Morgan and Sheen in The Queen as well. Morrissey is intense as the moody and impassioned Brown and Sheen, who has made a career out of playing Morgan's leads, is delightful once again as the affable Blair. The movie was geared towards British audiences and recent historical people and events will probably be unfamiliar to American viewers. However, I felt that although my lack of familiarity may have hurt my understanding in some regards, it helps to make for good drama.
