Truth

Dir: James Vanderbilt

2015

*****

There have been a couple of great political dramas released in 2015, Spotlight and The Big Short being the most successful, and then there is Truth. Why it wasn't celebrated as much and not nominated during awards season is puzzling to me, as I think it might just be as important as either of the other films and easily one of the best political/media films since Sidney Lumet's Network (1976). It's no big secret that the media is politically biased depending on who the owner/biggest stock holder is, decent journalism still exists but generally the media is used by big business/government as a propaganda tool. 60 minutes was one of the few media outlets that still remained on the forefront of cutting edge investigative journalism, hosted by the highly respected Dan Rather. During the 2004 America elections, certain altercations regarding President George W. Bush and his military service, military service being an important requirement in modern American politics, and the 60 Minute team investigated it accordingly. In truth, this issue was known before George W. Bush became president and many have speculated that if the story had broken prior to 2000 then Al Gore may have been President, although he should have been anyway but again, the media was responsible for that, so who knows? It is fair to say that the 60 minute team made a couple of mistakes when researching but it is crystal clear that they were buried by a corrupt media/government. Truth is based on 60 Minute journalist/producer Mary Mapes' experience during the scandal and rather interestingly, it hasn't been disputed by anyone who was involved. Director James Vanderbilt explores the key issues and doesn't waste time on gimmick or schmaltz and adopts a very straight-forward exploration of the story. The story is interesting enough without the need for jazz so Vanderbilt's simple approach is rather refreshing. Besides, Mary Mapes is played by the brilliant Cate Blanchett and Dan Rather by Robert Redford, the performances speak for themselves. The supporting cast is also very impressive, with Topher Grace giving one of his best performances and Dennis Quaid showing everyone how it's done. Cudos go to David Lyons and Rachael Blake for their performances as the film unlikable TV producers, a rather thankless role for many actors but one they both played brilliantly (and one that Bruce Greenwood wrote the book on). Dan Rather gave the film his blessing, saying that "there's so much right in the film...I think it’s the best thing that's ever been up on the big screen about how television really works" and I can't help but trust his opinion. The film challenges the political bias that came from both sides but lives up to its title and shows the corruption, stupidity and lack of integrity from the world's media, warts and all. It's incredibly sad and makes one's blood boil. Vital viewing.