Review of All the President's Men (1976) by Fred T — 01 Dec 2009

The yarn of two reporters pursuing a story, with which everyone is now familiar, could, on paper, sound like a lengthy lecture of a film. However with a William Goldman script in the hands of veteran thriller director Alan J.Pakula (best known at this point for 'The Parallax View') the result is quite the opposite; a sharp, tense conspiracy thriller, which manages to imbue typewriters and interviews with the type of excitement usually associated with gun fights and car chases.

In 'All The Presidents Men' two reporters, Woodward (Robert Redford) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), investigate the events surrounding the break-in at the Watergate Complex (at that time (1972) the headquarters for the Democrats... as you know). Whether their dogged pursuit of the facts is born from a belief in a free press or from a hungry desire for a story, it gives the characters a determination which gives the film a sense of urgency, and Redford and Hoffman proves to be an excellent pairing.

The film is photographed by legendary cinematographer Gordon Willis, and his contrasting style of darkness and light works very well. There is a blandness to the Washington Post Office (despite the hectic atmosphere), which acts as a juxtaposition to the deep and foreboding scenes of investigative journalism, notably Woodward's covert (and much parodied) meetings with his whistleblower Deep-Throat (Hal Holbrook).

The idea of a government as the villain has always been popular with moviegoers, and, given that the Watergate scandal was fact, 'All The President's Men' holds considerable weight and lasting appeal.