Review of The Post (2017) by Leon B — 06 Jun 2018

The Post.

(2017).

Plot:

"The Post" tells the incredible true story of the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post's Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) as they strive to expose a massive cover-up of devastating government secrets, risking their careers and very freedom in a fight for the truth.

Review:

With such a great cast, and one of the best directors in the world, I had high hopes for this movie but it turned out to be extremely average. Don't get me wrong, the performances from Streep and Hanks are top class but I did find the storyline quite boring after a while. I know that it is an important part of American history and that it changed the way that the newspapers reported the news, so I respect the fact that everyone who worked on this project, wanted to stay true to the real story but from an entertainment point of view, it is very one toned. With that aside, it's still worth a watch, mainly because of the chemistry between Streep and Hanks but don't expect a movie spectacular. Anyway, the movie is about the Pentagon Papers, that got leaked to the New York Times by an American analyst, Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys). Meanwhile, Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), owner and publisher of the Washington Post, after her husband's suicide and the death of her father, is troubled over the preparations for the newspapers stock-market launch. With the paper under threat, because of there lack of resources, compared to the New York Times, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), editor-in-chief, seeks to get his hands on the original Pentagon Papers, to leak the truth about the Vietnam war. When the papers mysteriously arrive at the Washington Post, a hand-picked team of reporters go through the pages of material, searching for the headline stories but their lawyers advise against publishing the story because the Nixon administration can bring charges against them, as the New York Times has used the same source. The final decision to publish, is up to Katharine, who could totally destroy the paper or establish itself as an important journalistic institution, so with everyone saying that she should back down because she could go to jail, she decides to publish the story, which leads to a monumental court case which would change journalism forever. There are some emotional moments, especially as the head of the Post is a woman, living in a man's world, and I did feel the intensity during the decision to publish but I still was expecting more from this unique collaboration, which might not happen again anytime soon. The period was captured extremely well, and the attention to detail was great but I can't see myself watching again, once you know the outcome. In this day and age of "fake news" it is an important story to bring to light but I doubt that it will make a massive impact like it did back in the 60's. The film only took 3 months to make, 9 months from script to final cut, so it's a decent achievement from the director, especially with such an A-list cast. Anyway, it's definitely worth a watch but it's a bit too straight-laced for me. Watchable!

Round-Up:

This movie was directed by one of the best directors of all time, Steven Spielberg, 71, who kicked off his movie career with the Sugarland Express in 1974. In 1975 he came out with the great Jaws, and two years later he made the all-time classic, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 1941 came in 1979, and then Raiders of the Lost Ark was born in 1981. E.T. shocked moviegoers in 1982, and Twilight Zone: The Movie was released in 1983. In 1984, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom went down extremely well with audiences, and then came the Color Purple in 1985, which shook the world. Empire of the Sun saw a young Christian Bale showing off his acting skills in 1987, then Spielberg returned to the Indiana franchise with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. Always came later that year, and then Hook was born in 1991, starring the late, great Robin Williams. Jurassic Park shocked moviegoers in 1993, along with Schindler's List, which got many awards. After a few years out, The Lost World, the Jurassic Park sequel, was released in 1997, along with Amistad in the same year. Saving Private Ryan came in 1998 and 3 years later A.I. Artificial Intelligence, saw a young Haley Joel Osment warming audiences hearts. In 2002 Catch Me If You Can and Minority Report were released, and in 2004 he worked alongside Hanks again in The Terminal. Munich told the true story of the Black September aftermath in 2005, and he returned with Tom Cruise in War of the World in the same year. After much debates, he returned to the Indiana franchise with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, and in 2011 he released the Adventures of Tintin and War Horse, which I didn't really enjoy. One year later he directed Lincoln, which went down well with audiences, and 3 years later he returned with Hanks in the Bridge of Spies. The BFG came in 2016, and he released Ready Player One this year, which I haven't actually seen yet. What a Filmography! Spielberg has also produced nearly 200 projects, and he has 7 projects in the pipeline, which include another Indiana movie and West Side Story, which is in production. I can honestly say that he is definitely one of the biggest players in Hollywood at the moment, and I have personally been entertained by movies since a small age. This movie doesn't really come close to some of his all-time classics but I will always rate him as a director, mainly because of his unique vision and remarkable storytelling.

Budget: $50million.

Worldwide Gross: $175million.

Genre: Biography, Drama, History.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, Alison Brie, Jesse Plemons and David Cross. 6/10.