Review of All the President's Men (1976) by Cameron H — 16 Nov 2016

You may have heard of Watergate. This movie is based on the real-life experiences of Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who were the primary investigators of the scandal. I could tell you that this is the story of how they uncovered the truth of the Republican re-election committee's crimes in spying and sabotaging the efforts of the respective Democratic committee.

However, that would not be entirely representative of what the story tells and how it is told. All the President's Men does not go into much detail about exactly how they cornered several committee members, including Nixon himself, to pleading guilty.

See, this is not a feel-good movie. Instead, among their efforts to find on-record proof, we are treated to the details of their dead ends and shaky inferences. They barely have a clue as to what is truth and what is conspiracy; the closer they get to confirming the truth, the more fearful they are of the consequences of their actions.

Director Alan Pakula crafts an atmosphere of paranoia through a figurative gas leak -- initially, an odd smell pervades the airs in attempts to interview witnesses, and overtime, Pakula seals the enclosure to test how much longer Woodward and Bernstein can breathe.

And boy, do Rob Redford (Woodward) and Dustin Hoffman (Bernstein) choke. (Not as actors, to clarify.) The dark side of Washington DC shines best -- that is, the least -- in Woodward's visits to his government cohort Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook).

These are the most hopeful times for Woodward to reach a revelation, but the revelations keep getting darker and darker, upon each visit. All the President's Men highlights how unglamorous the lifestyle of even the most heroic journalists is, as well as the sick, sinking feeling that comes with such investigation.

The interpolations of real-life coverage on the government's responses to this investigation only further emphasize the horrors of their actions.