Review of Trumbo (2015) by Harry W — 01 Mar 2016

Based on an interesting period of time in Hollywood history and propelling Bryan Cranston to an Academy Award nominated performance, Trumbo was all too fascinating to pass up.

Trumbo has powerful subject matter to deal with. Attempting to bring the concept of blacklisting to modern audiences with enough dramatic power to emphasize the effects of Cold War terror on the American public. Director Jay Roach has a powerful vision for his production and definitely creates a powerful dramatic experience in the process. However, it comes at a cost.

As a biopic, Trumbo is a fairly good film. Dalton Trumbo is an intriguing subject because of his role in the history of blacklisting and Hollywood in general. Trumbo certainly glamourizes the achievements of its subject's genuine talents very well, working to emphasis the insane dedication and genius of Dalton Trumbo as a writer. Viewers witness his ambitions to complete so many projects in short timeframes, capturing the man's brilliance as well as the enormous pressures he forced himself through to achieve his vision. The way that his professional and political career has a negative effect on the relationship with his family is little more than an obligatory afterthought which simply distracts from the far more interesting aspects of the narrative, but it's easier to enjoy the Dalton Trumbo's career than to complain about his conventional family story. Viewers also witness the endless passion and dedication Dalton Trumbo had to his beliefs without forcefully shoving them in people's faces, giving viewers a perspective on the genuine intelligence of the man. His solemn nature is a little too artificial when in actuality Dalton Trumbo was an outspoken supporter of Soviet-style Communism, including the brutal methods of Joseph Stalin and King Il-sung which clearly whitewashes history as a means of favouring Jay Roach's one-sided method. But disregarding the historical inaccuracy, the film is still an entertaining feature. It's mainly the first act of the film which works as captivating entertainment as it manages to capture so much of his life at a sensible pace. Though nothing is too fast, the story keeps moving to ensure that it emphasizes the countless films Dalton Trumbo was responsible for and how he was willing to stand up for his beliefs. Whether or not the film perfectly captures the truth behind Dalton Trumbo's beliefs, he was certainly brave to adhere to them all the way to the end.

However, as a historical film there are many flaws to pick apart .On top of the aforementioned glamourization of Dalton Trumbo's less-than savoury beliefs, the political side of Trumbo is far too simplistic. Rather than touching upon the practical nature of communism, Trumbo is heavily reliant strictly on its theoretical state which condemns the entire film to be very black and white: either you're democrat or a traitor, either you're a communist or a thief. I don't believe that John McNamara was capable of seeing both sides of the story and Jay Roach ended up too favourable of Dalton Trumbo's plight to honestly depict the society he was living in outside of his the man's own perspective. The entire film is essentially too busy being anti-communist to be pro-democratic, going as far as drawing direct allegories between the communist oppression of the United States and the Jewish oppression of the Nazis. Trumbo doesn't go to full extremes, but it borderlines on stating that paranoid democrats were misguided Nazis while communists were misunderstood Jews. That's a bit ridiculous for its own good. The powerful intensity of the atmosphere helps to convey the struggle of communist individuals in the United States and keeps viewers engaged, but the dramatization of the situation feels a little too blown out of proportion.

Also, the second act of Trumbo takes a massive decrease in pace. After spending so much time building up to the point in time where history would forever be changed by Kirk Douglas pursuing Dalton Trumbo to write the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (1960), Trumbo essentially runs out of other things to talk about. So much of Trumbo is solely centred around this one event, and though it was historically monumental it is too much of a sudden steep drop from the faster-moving wide ambition of the first act. Things drag on and small points of drama get milked for prolonged periods of time, ultimately lulling audiences into periods of simplified sentimentality and boredom. Trumbo takes a downturn by the second act, and with less entertainment to distract audiences its flaws become more obvious.

As an exercise in style, Trumbo effectively brings a powerful Hollywood era into the modern day. Capturing the glitz and glam of the industry on top of its seedy underbelly, the visionary grace of Trumbo is illuminated by production design and costumes which perfectly embody the style of the time. The use of lighting creates a rather faded colour scheme which adds a sense of age to the film, giving it a dated feeling which reminds us all of the classical cinematic style that Dalton Trumbo worked in. The soundtrack similarly makes use of groovy tunes from the time as well as atmospheric tension thanks to the work of Theodore Shapiro.

But anyone can tell you it's really Bryan Cranston that triumphs in Trumbo. The critically acclaimed actor delivers one of his finest film performances of his entire career in Trumbo. With his brilliance for intelligent articulation of words and his ability to deliver them with strong dramatic support, Bryan Cranston perfectly captures the determination of Dalton Trumbo without an absence of his sophisticated charm. You can tell from the way he stares at his typewriter and hammers his fingers into it that he is genuinely thinking deeply about how to perfect his writing, capturing the dedication of the man's career path with powerful ambition. Yet this is just one aspect of the character. Bryan Cranston shares a powerful chemistry with his on-screen family which varies from gentle fatherly interactions to more intense moments when it conflicts with his career path, and he brings this same style of contrast over to his interactions with the Hollywood press and justice system. He instinctively thinks through every word in the blink of an eye and remains deeply rooted in the intellect of the character, grasping him with every edge. His accent may occasionally drop in and out, but it is a meagre subtle flaw in the face of a powerful performance. Bryan Cranston ties the heart of Trumbo together with a firmly determined performance and is never anything less than the most interesting part of the experience.

Helen Mirren also carries a powerful performance. The legendary actress steps into a new role with Trumbo, portraying the villain of the story. Being a high class woman, Helen Mirren uses this status to convey a pompous nature in the role of Hedda Hopper. She lords of her vanity over the supporting characters with manipulation, a role that Helen Mirren captures with tenacious flair so rich that it's almost as if she has fun with it. Helen Mirren's instinctive charms perfectly capture the epitome of Hollywood gossip forums while emphasizing the extent of damage they can do within the system, playing a charming antagonist to her credibility.

Michael Stuhlbarg's brilliant sense of anxiety and reluctance in the face of Hollywood pressure carries his portrayal of Edward G. Robinson into some brilliantly dramatic territory. And though Diane Lane plays into the arbitrary family subplot of the story, she still does it with gentle charm and devotion which creates an ardent chemistry with Bryan Cranston.

Louis C.K. branches out into a powerful dramatic turn with Trumbo, and John Goodman's instinctive tenacious charms light up the screen with energy. Alan Tudyk is also a genial presence as always.

Trumbo boasts a stylish spectacle of filmmaking bolstered by the brilliance of Bryan Cranston's performance, but it's entertaining recount of Dalton Trumbo's life comes with a one-sided and inconsistently paced narrative which dispenses of much historical accuracy.