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7 / 10

Solid yet I think the subject matter was what got it nominated for Best Picture
The opening is flat and not well paced. It came to life ten or fifteen minutes in with the first appearance of Billy Crudup as the trial lawyer Eric Macleish, who gave this film a much-needed jolt of energy.

Fortunately, the film does build, and the more the story unfolds, the more gripping it becomes, and seemingly, Tom McCarthy’s direction improves, too. The performances are all very good, the writing is solid, and the production design is admirable. I don’t see Mark Ruffalo’s work as Oscar-worthy, which is not to knock it. I thoroughly appreciate the way the performances are underplayed–a performance cannot be more underplayed than Liev Schreiber’s, yet that seems right for a character who never shows his cards. It’s easy to imagine an approach that has all the reporters emoting heavily as they come to realize the horror of the situation.

Michael Keaton as Walter Robinson, John Slattery as Ben Bradlee, Billy Crudup as Macleish, Stanley Tucci as Garabidian, Jamey Sheridan as Sullivan, and Len Cariou as Cardinal Law are all outstanding, as are others I’m probably forgetting to mention. The minor parts are cast with actors with faces who look like they belong in Boston, such as Rachel McAdams’ grandmother or the woman who plays the priest’s sister.

The story is so compelling that I was very glad I had seen it, though a crispness of approach from the beginning, establishing characters from the get-go, would have made the movie even better.Read More