This film about a group of Boston Globe journalists uncovering systemic, long term child abuse by the catholic church is one that I had been looking forward to for a long time. I have an interest in films about newspaper journalists, dating back from when I first saw the magnificent All the Presidents Men. This particular story broke when I was in Boston, and I remember buying the newspaper to read about it back in January 2002.
It is great to report the film lived up to, and even exceeded my expectations. By concentrating on the process of investigating the story, I found it completely engrossing, and despite being fully aware of the outcome, very suspenseful. It feels very real as there are no great ‘eureka’ moments or a big showdown with the abusers, just determined and gradual uncovering of the facts.
Director Tom McCarthy does an expert job in slowly building the tension, and he gets universally great performances from his cast. It is truly an ensemble piece, with Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Live Schreiber, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, and John Slattery all terrific. Ruffalo as reporter Mike Rezendes has a couple of impassioned speeches, but the rest of their cast are shown doggedly going about their work. In fact there is a brilliant scene towards the end when Rezendes’ joy at finally publishing the story is deflated by Tucci’s lawyer character.
Not quite reaching the heights of All the President’s Men, it is, however, hard to see how this could have been done any better, and it is already the leading contender for film of the year.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10