2017 | Dir. Steven Spielberg | 116 Minutes
"We can't hold them accountable if we don't have a newspaper."
In the mid 1960s, an embittered military analyst leaks classified reports documenting the extensive secret history of the ongoing Vietnam War that was hidden from the American public to various news outlets. It is a race against the clock for the reporters of the financially fragile Washington Post to obtain the documents to beat other publications to press time, but when the Nixon Administration bars the New York Times from publishing the classified information, Katharine Graham, the reluctant owner of the Washington Post, must choose between protecting the integrity of her politician friends and the stability of her business, or serving the American people by exposing the truth.
Steven Spielberg's latest film is a relatively standard, competently-constructed drama elevated by its magnificent cast. The picture's captivating narrative surrounding the Washington Post's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers unfolds in a deliberate fashion that is at times frustrating and at times exhilarating. The focus of the feature shifts between the drama surrounding Graham (and the men who both support and subvert her leadership) and the revelation of the shocking truths behind the Vietnam War. The very best sequence of the film involves the leadership of the Washington Post on multiple telephones sharing one phone line, arguing over whether or not their Pentagon Papers story should be published with press time just hours away.
While Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are at the top of their respective games, they do not deliver their very best work. Streep is perfectly regal and relatable as Katharine Graham, but while Graham faces a significant personal dilemma, the role ultimately does not require much range. The same can be said of Hanks' part as Ben Bradlee, with Hanks once again doing a fine job taking on his bread and butter role of the standard everyman, this time in the form of the impassioned newspaper editor-in-chief with little to no respect for authority. The supporting cast is packed with a variety of talent featuring Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Matthew Rhys, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Carrie Coon, Jesse Plemons, Zach Woods, and Michael Stuhlbarg all in key roles.
The true story of the Washington Post's decision to report on the Pentagon Papers, and subsequently provoke the wrath of the Nixon administration, already a story worth telling and retelling, is all the more relevant now considering the current presidential administration's disdain for the press. However, Spielberg's narrative unfolds in an almost painfully procedural way. The Post is without a doubt an important film, but its greatest flaw is that it is just a good movie but not a great one.
FRAGMENTS
- Bradley Whitford appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Get Out
- Tracy Letts appears in two Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film and Lady Bird
- Michael Stuhlbarg appears in three Best Picture Oscar Nominees that were released in 2017: this film, Call Me By Your Name, and The Shape of Water
- Bob Odenkirk, Jesse Plemons, Carrie Coon, and Michael Stuhlbarg were all featured in the acclaimed Fargo television series
- It's incredibly gratifying to Bob Odenkrik and his comedy partner David Cross, the creators/stars of Mr. Show, featured so prominently together on screen in a Steven Spielberg film
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Michael Stuhlbarg (Nicodemus West in Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
- Carrie Coon (Proxima Midnight in Avengers: Infinity War)
