Review of All the President's Men (1976) by Compi24 — 03 Aug 2019

In the beginning, Redford and Pakula said, “let us make the journalistic thriller in our image, in our likeness, so that it may rule over all the theater screens across the country and all the shelves at the Best Buy 'classics' rack, over every wannabe Spielberg pre(?)-make and over every lowly serf that thinks you absolutely need explosions or killings in your movie for it to be any good.

” "All The President's Men" is just plain ol' cracker-jack storytelling. Though, yes, it most certainly helps that the story in play is already fascinating enough -- and true, to boot -- it also doesn't hurt to have one of the world's greatest screenwriters staging your scene dynamics, drafting up your dialogue, and structuring your overall narrative.

Aside from William Goldman's expertly constructed screenplay, this also just so happens to represent Alan J. Pakula putting on an absolute clinic in how to make a seemingly dry movie look incredible. From the dank, expressive corners of a darkened parking structure, to the blindingly bright interiors of the Washington Post's office floor, it all feels expertly staged and shot.

Oh, and Redford and Hoffman are pretty damned good as well. Not that that needed clearing up or anything. In the end, "All The President's Men" is an engrossing, beautifully realized story of power, journalistic integrity, and the importance of getting/making things right.