Movie Review: Truth (2015)

Genre: Biographical Political Drama  

Director: James Vanderbilt  

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quaid, Stacy Keach, Bruce Greenwood, Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss, Dermot Mulroney  

Running Time: 125 minutes  

Synopsis: Ahead of the 2004 US presidential election, 60 Minutes television show producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) investigates President Bush's National Guard service record during the Vietnam War era. She works with anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) and a team consisting of Mike Smith (Topher Grace), Colonel Roger Charles (Dennis Quaid), and Lucy Scott (Elisabeth Moss). Retired and ailing National Guard member Bill Burkett (Stacy Keach) produces copies of documents that tarnish Bush's record. But after the story airs, doubts are raised about the documents' authenticity, placing Mary's team under intense scrutiny.

What Works Well: The adaptation of Mary Mapes's book unfolds in two distinct chapters: the first half is the lead-up to the broadcast of the 60 Minutes episode about Bush's military service record. The much better second half is the aftermath, as the team of CBS journalists and their managers deal with immediate blowback. Once doubts are cast upon the critical documents, the investigative team switches from offense to defence, and the forces aligned against them prove formidable. Cate Blanchett's powerhouse performance contains space for the murky conflict between personal beliefs and journalistic integrity, while Robert Redford's sage presence invites reflection on the rise and fall of corporate television news. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The opening 45 minutes are occupied with a deadline-driven rush to investigate the President's record, and become cluttered with too many names of too many incidental characters, the search of details getting in the way of good story telling. And while the reporters are scurrying about in a frenzy, no one pauses to ponder the relative insignificance of a story about skipping obscure National Guard duties 30 years prior.

Conclusion: And dare.



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