Review of All the President's Men (1976) by Jared Vyvyan S — 25 Apr 2008

Politics often make for fine films. Here are three examples.....

[b]Charlie Wilson's War (2007) - 7.1/10[/b].

Director - Mike Nichols.

Starring - Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty, Emily Blunt.

Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) is a Texas congressman with a penchant for booze, cocaine and women. He was also a patriot. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in the early 80's, Wilson was determined to do something about it, tirelessly working to secure more funding for a covert operation. He found an ally in Texas socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) who happened to be one of the wealthiest women in Texas and also a fervent anti-Communist. The other integral figure was Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an ill-tempered renegade CIA agent. The three met with the leaders of countries in the region, forged unlikely alliances and managed to secure billions for the covert operation which helped arm the Afghans in their fight against the superior Soviet Army.

Another solid entry in Mike Nichols very long resume, [i]Charlie Wilson's War [/i]succeeds mainly due to the colorful nature of the three lead characters. Nichols' mines the material smartly injecting some witty scenes and smart dialogue throughout elevating what could have been a rather bland picture into one that is quite watchable. Tom Hanks is Tom Hanks, this is the type of role he does very well, but once again Philip Seymour Hoffman manages to steal the show. [i]Charlie Wilson[/i] may not have achieved greatness but it's a must-see if you're a fan of Nichols, Hanks or Hoffman.

[b]JFK (1991) - 9.1/10[/b].

Director - Oliver Stone.

Starring - Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, John Candy, Jack Lemmon, Donald Sutherland, Walter Matthau, Sally Kirkland, Brian Doyle-Murray, Ed Asner, Laurie Metcalf.

The first is Oliver Stone's [i]JFK[/i][b]. [/b]This isn't a film about the former president, it's a film about his assassanation and the conspiracy theories that surrounded it. Kevin Costner stars as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, a man who doesn't believe Lee Harvey Oswald (played by Gary Oldman) acted alone. He is convinced Oswald was merely a scapegoat and launches an investigation to determine who might have wanted Kennedy killed. He seeks to talk to the many witnesses of the assassination, discovering many are now mysteriously dead, while discovering others had their testimony manipulated by the Warren Commission. He also finds links from the seedy underworld, to the Cuban militia, to the CIA, to the mafia.

Conspiracy theories abound in this fascinating film. One can argue that Stone is a propagandist, but one can't deny his talents as a filmmaker, and he is at his best when directing stories closest to his heart or closest to his own experiences which is why his period films are his strongest. Many historians and conspiracy theorists disregard this film, however even if inaccurate, it does raise many questions about the fateful event in November of 1963. And as a film, it's highly enertaining. Kevin Costner gives the best performance of his career, and the supporting cast is superb. The fact Stone was able to procure so much talent, many actors only appear in small cameos, was a testament to Stone's respect in Hollywood when he made this film. It's a long film, yet briskly paced due to it's magnificent editing. The period detail is also very authentic, the cinematography excellent and the script smartly written. Along with [i]Platoon[/i], I consider this to be Stone's finest achievement.

[b]All the President's Men (1976) - 7.4/10[/b].

Director - Alan J. Pakula.

Starring - Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Robards, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Jane Alexander, Hal Holbrook, Stephen Collins, Ned Beatty.

[i]All the President's Men[/i] is the story of Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein's (Dustin Hoffman) investigation into the Watergate break-in of 1972. The pair slowly unravel the links which suggests high ranking Republican's in office are responsible for breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic Party. Despite skeptics, executive editor Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards) stands behind his reporters and eventually the truth is told, ultimately leading to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

[i]All the President's Men [/i]was released just four years after the the Watergate break-in and two years after Nixon's resignation, so the material was still fresh in the public's conscience. Pakula probably wisely decided to take a very faithful, straight-forward approach to the material avoiding sensationalism and not making the two reporters seem like martyrs. In fact it plays out almost like a documentary film created for a college history class. While all of this is good, I would have joined a bit more backstory on Woodward and Bernstein. We learn all about the investigation but very little about the two men breaking the biggest story in the history of American politics. It's my only quibble with the film.

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