Directed By Scott Z. Burns

Starring – Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm

The Plot – A political thriller based on actual events. Idealistic staffer Daniel J. Jones (Driver) is tasked by his boss Senator Dianne Feinstein (Bening) to lead an investigation of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program created in the aftermath of 9/11. Jones’ relentless pursuit of the truth leads to findings that uncover the lengths to which the nation’s top intelligence agency went to destroy evidence, subvert the law, and hide a shocking secret from the American public.

Rated R for some scenes of inhumane treatment and torture, and adult language

POSITIVES

– Varying color scheme. Part of Burns’ splash of production to instill into this picture is the vastly different shades of color articulation used to speak volumes about the atmospheric qualities. For scenes that take place in the senate, particularly those during Jones’ own investigation, there’s a grey enveloping that speaks volumes of the ambiguity of the situation, as well as the unbias nature that he emits in condemning only the guilty. For flashback sequences done at these torture camps, there’s an overwhelming sense of extreme yellow’s and orange’s that not only feed into the arid settings in location, but also feed into the frame of mind of the skewered sense of reality that has overtaken the situation from these sworn-in intelligence officers. These two sides are obviously different in their renderings, and establish a defining sense of past and present, which in turn make it easier to distinguish from the often teleporting form of storytelling.

– Thought-provoking information. In watching a film about investigative journalism, I want to feel abundantly informed with a sense of poignant commentary harvesting just beneath the surface, and this quality is perhaps “The Report’s” biggest positive in this regard. Digging through thousands of pages of documents and on-the-ground reports, we learn that our own officers subjected hundreds of innocent foreign people to animalistic forms of brutality, which in turn created more problems for our own investigation than solidified leads. In addition to this, the liberties taken by our own C.I.A on our own soil alludes to a snapping of trust that feeds into the very shadowy perception that they have given themselves since J. Edgar Hoover founded them many decades ago. This is a film that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty in exposing the American deceit that they have absolved themselves of because of their unlimited power and advantages, that are clearly abused quite often. It’s one of those films that can never allow you to look at the post 9/11 years the same way again.

– Show and tell. What I love about the barrage of details thrown at us throughout, is the audible and visual approach to relaying such an information that will keep audiences at equal footing in what it uncovers. The initial long-winded dialogue deposits illustrates the complete picture of what is being discussed during that particular scene, but the further elaboration in dramatization being played out ever so frequently accommodates those who aren’t able to follow along with governmental jargon. It takes in words what might easily be lost in translation, and orchestrates it with a level of horrific encompassing, thanks in part to Eigil Bryld’s dreary scope of surreal cinematography. It’s important that neither gimmick strains the efforts of the storytelling, nor does it feel like it repeats what was previously established. It lets the viewer experience matters through the eyes of the tortured, and lets them judge whether it is right or wrong on their own accord.

– Committed cast. The budget for this film dropped from 18 million to 8 million just before shooting began. Suffering the most for this were the paychecks of the big name cast, who instead of dropping from the project instead stuck with it because of their commitment to the highly important subject matter, and because of such there are two performances that stand out candidly. Adam Driver’s year might never be duplicated from him again, but at least we can say that it produced varying degrees of dramatic pulse, which showcase no shortage of emotional depth from him. Here, his Daniel Jones shines the brightest when his anger over the situation is let loose, allowing Driver’s acclaimed sense of snarky cynicism to wash over the lunacy of some truly appalling situations. It might not be his best performance to date, but it’s certainly his most enthusiastic. Bening is also tremendous, losing herself under the familiarity of Feinstein’s silver -rimmed glasses and beehive hairdo. The assertion in her voice without yelling or losing her cool illustrates a woman of power who is constantly firmly in control, and thanks to Annette’s decades of experience as a leading lady never feels like an impression over and immersion.

– Politically neutral. One-sided mudslinging is always my biggest fear of a political uncovering story, but thankfully Burns’ scope as a screenwriter highlights that there were many mistakes made from the left and right that led to the C.I.A being able to slip through the cracks. From a Republican perspective, it was the desire of an administration so desperate to prove themselves after the most horrific event in American history took shape. In doing so, it led them to adopt many barbaric forms of interrogating that not only violated the trust of the prisoners, but also broke free from what made them different from the armies of hate that came before them. For the Democrats, there’s an overwhelming lack of bravery, which made them put their political aspirations first above what should’ve been their search for truth and justice. It makes Daniel’s list of allies all the less limited, and questions how deep his investigation will go almost immediately in the film when the responsibility is established as shared.

– Detailed journalism. While this film certainly isn’t “Spotlight”, a feat it wants to attain so desperately, it is at least a unique and taxing perspective of what goes into taking on a story as immense as this one. In this regard, the absence of time, with the exception of yearly categories in chapter formula, mounts and eventually surprises our central protagonist, turning the days into weeks, and the weeks into eventual months that go flashing by in an instant. This not only elaborates at the unhealthy obsession with burying yourself in a lead story, but also pays dividends into an office setting with no windows to remain linked with the world outside. In addition to this, it’s the many years that it takes to sometimes uncover a single shred of evidence that really makes you appreciate each page in Jones’ 6700 page document detailing this whole case that displays the abundance of instances, as well as his commitment to such a task.

– Atmospheric musical score. Composer Dave Wingo has outdone himself with a series of unraveling musical tones and pop culture tracks to outline one of the more diverse offerings in cinema, in 2019. For the lyric-less samples, there’s a series of ominously entrancing sounds with an increasing volume intensity that plays into the curiosity of the investigation, as well as the surprising nature of the darkness that is being presented. In addition to this, tracks like Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People”, as well as a collection of death metal samplings are presented during the scenes of torture, and bring forth an ironic perfection in deposits that make them easy to understand why they play into the sleepless nights that these prisoners are subjected to. One thing is for certain, you will never look at these tracks the same way again, and thanks to Wingo’s widespan taste in genre offerings, he brings forth the only air of unintentional humor to the movie that finally solidifies the purpose of Marilyn Manson music.

NEGATIVES

– Character exposition. I can understand that this is political thriller first and a character piece third or fourth, but the lack of information or moments of personal reflection are almost non-existent in the film. From Daniel’s perspective, we hear in a passing of his time in the armed forces, as well as the defeat of a previous relationship that didn’t work out because of the job, but we never see what kind of effect this case is having on his personal life home. Is he sleeping well? Is he home often? does he interact with other people outside of the case? None of these are fruitfully displayed in a way that gives us even the most brief of character outlines, and it leads to an overall lack of interest in these front-and-center protagonists because they are every bit as cryptic as the shadow figures that they are hunting.

– Dwindling urgency. For a movie that deals with uncovering government policy, as well as characters colliding with the C.I.A, this film has a noticeable absence of urgency or tension that keeps it from ever elevating into the kind of thriller needed for the long haul. Because of this, the pacing can at times be an arduous task, full of heavy exposition dialogue between characters, as well as endlessly staring at computer screens, which makes for painting house levels of excitement. For my money, the film could’ve used more of the C.I.A snooping that ended the second act of the movie. This would’ve fleshed out Daniel’s paranoia more, which in turn would make him more vulnerable, which in turn would feed into the noticeable humanity missing that I previously mentioned.

– Wasted cast. Other than the heralded two performances in Driver and Bening that are exceptional, the rest of the star-studded cast is wasted, moving in and out of frame like glorified extras seeking importance. Michael C. Hall, Jon Hamm, Ted Levine, Jennifer Morrison, Maura Tierney, and Matthew Rhys round out a group that should rightfully be enough to sell their own movie, but Burns uses them where they are required, and never again, wasting several chances between character interactions that could’ve really made for some dream scenarios for fans of these names, like me. Anyone could’ve been cast in these roles, and nothing would’ve been lost in translation, but bringing together an assortment of talent with this much big screen exposure only brings forth one of the many questionable decisions that keeps “The Report” from being one of the elite in political journalism thrillers.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-