One television network is at the front of a government whiplash, and everyone is seeking the “Truth”. On the morning of September 9, 2004, veteran CBS News producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) believed she had every reason to feel proud of a broadcast journalism job well done. She and her supporting team (Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss) uncover some shocking revelations about the current U.S president, and it might just be the biggest news piece of Mary’s career. By the end of the day, Mapes, CBS News, and the venerable CBS News anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) would be facing harsh scrutiny. “Truth” is one of those films that gives the viewer an in-depth look into the way a newsroom works. Sometimes, this is played for laughs, but in this film’s case, this movie documents a hard hitting moment in U.S history, and raises it’s impact while showcasing two very strong performances from silver screen veterans. For it’s opinionated leading film title, “Truth” lays out all of the facts on the table for the audience, and lets them decide who was right and who was wrong.
What’s so smart and convincing about James Vanderbilt’s film and script, is his attention to detail. This really is one of those movies where we have to pay attention to the events surrounding this team. In many ways, we are stepping into their shoes. Getting the same seeds of information during the same times that they are seeing it for the first time. Then, during the third act, it is all uncovered and the sheet is pulled out from under you, while building a strong current of edge and paranoia. For people who seek explosions and chase scenes in a movie, you might be disappointed by “Truth”. The real attention grabber is an Oliver Stone-like piece of film that really uncovered a lot of unnerving facts about the corporations that we depend on every day.
The movie gets it’s heartbeat from stellar storytelling, but where it gets it’s legs is from spellbinding cast full of solid performances. Redford perfectly channels Rather’s gentle nature. He clearly and earnestly represents just how important the news and facts are to him, while offering presentation and grace. Redford’s uncanny resemblence to Rather, is one of the film’s most convincing pedigrees, but the role would be nothing without the friendship between he and Blanchett’s character. Cate once again grabs a role by the horns and never lets go. Her roles have usually always been one of strong female patriarchs, and that is something that this film relies heavily on. When the other shoe drops and we find out the big bombshell for the movie, we are mostly left at the side with Blanchett, and thankfully the movie includes several long winded dialogue pieces that makes it easy for us to get behind her character. This in addition to the haunting backstory of her adolescence, and was glad that the movie never shied away from the comparisons between her past and present. The biggest surprise of the movie for me was Topher Grace. We haven’t seen him in many dramas, but his role as investigator Mike Smith gives the movie a sense of humor, complete with a young perspective. Smith is possibly the most educated character of the movie, so it’s usually his narration that we follow as the walls come tumbling down around our protagonist team. I particualarly enjoyed a nice informational piece of dialogue read by Grace, detailing the connection between George Bush and Viacom.
If there were a couple of things that bothered me about “Truth”, it was in it’s lack of structural storytelling and scene flow. The movie details a strong first two acts of the movie, often building up the consequences for our characters with each passing blow, but in the third act of the movie, the air just kind of slowly leaks out from the tightening pace with each passing minute. The ending to this film isn’t going to win anyone over, but i thought more of the problem revolved around the lack of screen time for the supporting characters and their telling of the events that transpired. Moss and Quaid go missing for noticeably long periods of time, and a Where-Are-They-Now conclusion to the film will have you being reminded of their roles in this story, despite the film having much sympathy creatively for their characters. The movie gives us this bigger picture being presented, and then just kind of accepts it’s position without any further clarity.
“Truth” might not be as strong emotionally as government reveal films such as “All The President’s Men” or “JFK”, but it’s performances overshadow the negatives creatively that nearly hinder the film’s strong command. It’s a movie about journalism at it’s purest form, and how delicate a line these news people walk everyday. It’s a reminder of just how tainted the news of today has become, and we should never settle in the search for the facts. The film deals with strong truths and concerning issues, so i ask you the reader, can you handle the “Truth”?
7/10