It is 1971 and the Vietnam War continues to drag on despite the loss of American lives and growing protests against it. Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg, who was employed by the government, is so disillusioned with the situation that he leaks confidential papers to the New York Post. The papers contain evidence that successive US presidents knew that the war was unwinnable but continued to lie to the American people. An injunction is served on the newspaper but when more papers are given to the Washington Post, editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) and owner Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) have to decide whether they will print the contents of the top secret documents.
Surprisingly, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep appear together for the first time, and with Steven Spielberg at the helm it is undoubtedly a prestige picture. I would have expected it to have gained more than the three Oscar nominations it has with Hanks considering himself unlucky to be excluded from the best actor race. Spielberg turned Liz Hannah and Josh Singer’s script into a completed movie in nine months. That is an almost an unprecedentedly quick turnaround for a major film, done that way because Spielberg though the parallels with the current situation in America warranted getting the film out there as soon as possible, another reason why I would have thought it would be a more prominent player in the awards season.
Nonetheless, I believe this will turn out to be one of the best films released in 2018 and one that will acquire a greater reputation as time passes. Spielberg directs with an unfussy but assured style and Streep and Hanks are faultless in their performances, with Bob Odenkirk as one of Bradlee’s most experienced reporters and Bruce Greenwood as the complex Bob McNamara giving impressive support.
In truth, if you are interested in neither politics or the newspaper business you may find it a little slow, but it plays right into my wheelhouse with those subjects. The terrific final scene has caused a number of people to comment on it being the good first film in a double bill with All the Presidents Men, which is still, in my opinion, the best American film ever made. In truth, I think it would make a perfect first film in a triple bill, adding it Errol Morris’ the brilliant Fog of War in which McNamara gives his recollections of the period.
Rating: 9 out of 10