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★★★★
Directed by James Vanderbilt
Starring Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford and Dennis Quaid
Film review by George Dawson
'Truth' is a compelling drama asking questions about the truth, politics and conspiracy. 'Truth' stars Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford and Dennis Quaid.
'Truth' is the true story adapted from Mary Mapes' autobiography 'Truth and Duty: The Press, The President and The Privilege Of Power'. Sixty Minutes news broke a story that posed the question with a substantial amount of evidence, whether President George W Bush fulfilled his service in the United States Marine Corps, while at the same time evidence is also found that important people covered up some of his degenerate behaviour. Not surprisingly this caused massive controversy and the news team were heavily criticised and investigated. This is their story.
Audiences will feel conflicted as they will feel angry with how the news team were treated, but also wondering how honest and truthful the writers have been to the actual events and conversations that took place.
The movie progressed at a steady pace and kept me engaged all the way through and I never felt bored or lost. One problem I did have with the plot which I find is quite often the case with adapted true stories is that the conclusion felt a little flat.
'Truth' has a strong message to say about challenging the status quo and that maybe our leaders are not as squeaky clean as they have been presented to us. I found this a very interesting and sometimes haunting theme to explore. While I am not American I can relate it to the allegations made against our Prime Minister here in England.
The cinematography was pretty standard with the exception of one brilliant shot. Cate Blanchett is delivering a particularly engaging monologue and the camera ever so slowly zooms in to her face and it is extremely effective.
The performances in 'Truth' are all solid by Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss, Topher Grace and Bruce Greenwood.
Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford however deliver something quite special making them very memorable. The two have a unique and interesting relationship in the film and they portray it very well.
Robert Redford leaves a lasting impression with his last scene but it is more to do with the plot and a bit forced than his acting. There are some very tender and humorous moments from Robert Redford though.
It's no surprise that Cate Blanchett delivers a great performance again with her track record. By far her best scene coincides with the best cinematography I mentioned earlier. Towards the end of the film she delivers a thought provoking speech that really gets you thinking, along with the fantastic cinematography she creates a truly engaging scene.
There is a particular quote in that monologue that really resonated with me. "Our story was about whether the President fulfilled his service. Nobody wants to talk about that. They want to talk about fonts and forgeries and they hope to god the truth gets lost in the scrum" I can't tell you why I brought up this quote specifically without spoiling the conclusion but suffice to say I was annoyed with how the external people and environment disrupted the flow of more information to the story.
Overall I really enjoyed 'Truth' and think audiences will be intrigued by the plot and impressed by the standout performances. 'Truth' is definitely a film you should see when it releases Friday March 4th.
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