Usually when someone says a film got mixed reviews it is a polite way of saying they were bad. In the case of Truth they literally were mixed in the US, though the film was largely panned in the UK, partly because of a lack of relevance to the UK public.
The story of how the CBS news team reported on inconsistencies in George W. Bush’s military service and his avoidance of the Vietnam war, only to find afterwards there were serious issues with some of the evidence they had, probably doesn’t have widespread appeal here. The cinema release in March was very limited and the film has quickly turned-up on streaming and on demand services.
As someone who is very interested in both politics and journalism, the subject matter is right up my alley and I think that mostly it is a tale well told. The cast is pretty much outstanding, with Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford (as Dan Rather) and Elisabeth Moss particularly impressing. In fact, it is only Topher Grace who doesn’t convince with the only grandstanding speech in the film that doesn’t really work. Aside from that moment, James Vanderbilt’s script recounts the somewhat complicated events in a clear and reasonably even-handed way, despite it being based on a book by Mary Mapes (Blanchett’s character).
That one over the top moment is overshadowed by the interesting questions the film more subtly raises. Such as, how much should commercial pressures impact on the news – the main problem with the story was that it was rushed onto air to fit into the only time slot that the station would provide, can traditional journalism survive in the internet age – any story now will be immediately rubbished on-line in forums now matter how much evidence there is to back it up and whether a journalist can be truly objective. I imagine those ideas are discussed more deeply in the book, but they are in the film too and help make it very thought provoking.
Vanderbilt also directs in an unobtrusive way, letting the complicated story unfold at just the right pace. File this one under overlooked gems.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Top 10 films to see about TV news:
10 The Ugly Truth (a guilty pleasure!)
9. Groundhog Day
8. Broadcast News
7. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
6. Truth
5. Nightcrawlers
4. The Insider
3. Good Night and Good Luck
2. The China Syndrome
1. Network