A review by Brooks Rich
I love a good movie about journalism. Back in 2015, Spotlight – the film about the Boston Globe reporters who broke the story about rampant child abuse in the Catholic Church – was one of my favorite films of the year. All the President’s Men is a classic. The Report is not a movie about journalism in the usual sense, but it has some of the same touchstones – the story goes deeper than what is initially expected, and those who are hurt by it try hard to block it.
Adam Driver plays Daniel J. Jones, an investigator for US Senator Dianne Feinstein, played by Annette Benning, who is tasked with leading an investigation into the CIA's use of torture after the attacks on September 11th. The films chronicles not only the creation of the report by Jones’ team, but also the CIA's response after 9/11 and their attempts to block the publication of the report.
I don't have much to say about this film, but that's not a bad thing. There's a lot to unpack in The Report. This is not a happy film. No one is going to think, “Wow, The Report is awesome." But it is an important film. Sure we can all enjoy big fun blockbusters – but sometimes we need films about the horrors of the real world. Like Spotlight, it is important for us to examine the ugliness that can happen in our country. I don't want to get into a debate about the pros and cons of torture on this blog. This is not a political website. I just want to say what I thought of the film and how it presented itself.
This is a very well made film. Director and writer Scott Z. Burns knows how to have a restrained eye in this film. Sometimes a director needs to stand back and not get flashy with the camera. There's only so many ways to shoot a group of people having a conversation in a board room. Burns lets the story and the actors speak for themselves.
Across the board, the performances are fantastic. And the film’s highlight being Adam Driver, possibly the most interesting actor working today. The same year he stars in the last film of a huge trilogy, he also plays the lead investigator of the Senate's report on torture. That's an interesting career trajectory in just one year.
You need to pay attention when watching The Report. The timeline jumps around at times and there's a lot thrown at the viewer from the start. There ’s nothing casual about this film. If you're big into politics and followed this story when it happened, then by all means watch this film. I have no complaints about any aspect of this film. It is one of the best of the year and should stick around for award season, especially in the screenwriting category. I also see possible nominations for Driver and Benning.
Rating: 5/5
I love a good movie about journalism. Back in 2015, Spotlight – the film about the Boston Globe reporters who broke the story about rampant child abuse in the Catholic Church – was one of my favorite films of the year. All the President’s Men is a classic. The Report is not a movie about journalism in the usual sense, but it has some of the same touchstones – the story goes deeper than what is initially expected, and those who are hurt by it try hard to block it.
Adam Driver plays Daniel J. Jones, an investigator for US Senator Dianne Feinstein, played by Annette Benning, who is tasked with leading an investigation into the CIA's use of torture after the attacks on September 11th. The films chronicles not only the creation of the report by Jones’ team, but also the CIA's response after 9/11 and their attempts to block the publication of the report.
I don't have much to say about this film, but that's not a bad thing. There's a lot to unpack in The Report. This is not a happy film. No one is going to think, “Wow, The Report is awesome." But it is an important film. Sure we can all enjoy big fun blockbusters – but sometimes we need films about the horrors of the real world. Like Spotlight, it is important for us to examine the ugliness that can happen in our country. I don't want to get into a debate about the pros and cons of torture on this blog. This is not a political website. I just want to say what I thought of the film and how it presented itself.
This is a very well made film. Director and writer Scott Z. Burns knows how to have a restrained eye in this film. Sometimes a director needs to stand back and not get flashy with the camera. There's only so many ways to shoot a group of people having a conversation in a board room. Burns lets the story and the actors speak for themselves.
Across the board, the performances are fantastic. And the film’s highlight being Adam Driver, possibly the most interesting actor working today. The same year he stars in the last film of a huge trilogy, he also plays the lead investigator of the Senate's report on torture. That's an interesting career trajectory in just one year.
You need to pay attention when watching The Report. The timeline jumps around at times and there's a lot thrown at the viewer from the start. There ’s nothing casual about this film. If you're big into politics and followed this story when it happened, then by all means watch this film. I have no complaints about any aspect of this film. It is one of the best of the year and should stick around for award season, especially in the screenwriting category. I also see possible nominations for Driver and Benning.
Rating: 5/5
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