Review of Spotlight (2015) by Jacob P — 25 Mar 2018
The subject matter is revolting but the way it is exposed by reporters at the Boston Globe newspaper is excellent.
The investigative journalism of the "Spotlight" reporters of the Globe in revealing sordid child abuse amongst some members of the Roman Catholic Church reminded me of All The President's Men in the expose of Watergate.
Michael Keaton is undergoing somewhat of a career renaissance from his superhero Batman days of the late 1980s here as chief Spotlight reporter Walter "Robby" Robinson however it is co-star Mark Ruffalo as hot-headed reporter Mark Rezendes who displays the best scenes in arguments about publishing findings immediately before the full extent of the scandal in Boston is investigated.
The film is not a witch hunt against honest members of the Roman Catholic Church it has other elements to the story. Most notably the "turn the other way" attitudes of people in decades gone buy who could have exposed what was going on many years before.
What I do find interesting about these true stories is the cards left on screen at the end. A sort of what happened next.
A film that has to be viewed so hopefully this sort of thing never happens again and no organisation can cover it up.
This review of Spotlight (2015) was written by Jacob P on 25 Mar 2018.
Spotlight has generally received very positive reviews.
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