TRUTH (James Vanderbilt). 121 minutes. Rating: NNN
Much like the upcoming Spotlight, a superior elegy for traditional journalism, Truth mourns investigative reporting in an era when media is defined by bloggers, trolls and sponsored content.
Cate Blanchett plays 60 Minutes II producer Mary Mapes, who, along with Robert Redford’s Dan Rather and a crack team of sleuths, uncovers how George W. Bush abused his influence during Vietnam to duck out of the war.
Writer/director James Vanderbilt rushes along the investigation and compacts the character-building portions of the story to get to the aftermath, dubbed Rathergate. The journalists are exposed for their controversial mistakes involving questionable documents and torn apart by political and corporate manoeuvring and an online community that could be wielded as a toxic weapon.
Redford’s presence immediately recalls All The President’s Men, a film that Vanderbilt channelled in his script for David Fincher’s masterful procedural Zodiac. As much as Truth aspires to such heights, it lacks Fincher’s cool and methodical hand and his sublime artistry.
In his directorial debut, Vanderbilt gets swept up with emotions and grand speeches, focusing on eliciting sympathy for Mapes (the film’s adapted from her memoir) and as a result tripping over rather crucial details. The incendiary story makes for an entertaining movie, but it could have been a lot more.
