Director: James Vanderbilt Starring: Cate Blanchet, Robert Redford, Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss, Dennis Quaid Writer: James Vanderbilt | 3.5/5 Truth With a similarly-themed Oscar contender like Spotlight hogging most of the journalism drama attention, it’s easy for a film like Truth to be swept under the rug - sort of like the controversial findings of these two movies. Truth centers around journalistic investigation of 60 Minutes into the shady handling of then-president George W. Bush’s time served in the military. With a rockstar cast and skilled direction from screenwriter James Vanderbilt in his directorial debut, the film manages to skim through its rougher areas. If Truth has one major failing, it’s a not-too discrete biased leaning. Journalism, and the movies about journalism, should provide an unbiased assessment of the facts. Thanks to technical excellence, Truth still provides us with an engaging tale of the Man bullying the press; which it does…hard. The amazing, Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett dominates the role of lead producer Mary Mapes. Behind her is researcher Mike Smith (Topher Grace), military liaison Roger Charles (Dennis Quaid), random question-asker Lucy Scott (Elisabeth Moss), and legendary anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford). We have seen Redford excel at journalism before in All the President’s Men, but I would not get your hopes up that high. |
All the President’s Men, as well as this year’s Spotlight, depict journalists as worker bees. There’s hardly any moralistic speechifying or grand gestures; just men and women doing their jobs, bent over documents and computer screens. Truth leans a bit too far toward hagiography, especially when it comes to Rather; but, again, the cast is just so damn watchable.
And it’s not like Vanderbilt is using his tightened platform to spout nonsense - like certain media groups. The 60 Minutes Bush findings have never been officially disproven, which makes the public shaming of the reports that much more troubling. Truth conveys that troubling aura and makes a good case for its subjects, I simply wish it would not have tried so hard to do so when he facts so clearly speak for themselves.
And it’s not like Vanderbilt is using his tightened platform to spout nonsense - like certain media groups. The 60 Minutes Bush findings have never been officially disproven, which makes the public shaming of the reports that much more troubling. Truth conveys that troubling aura and makes a good case for its subjects, I simply wish it would not have tried so hard to do so when he facts so clearly speak for themselves.