TRUTH
Director : James VanderbiltCast : Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Elizabeth Moss, Bruce Greenwood, Stacy Keach
Genre : Biography/Drama
Run Time : 126 mins
Opens : 17 March 2016
Rating : M18 (Some Nudity And Coarse Language)
The Bible tells us that “the
truth shall set you free”, but there are times when it can feel like the truth
can hold you prisoner, as Cate Blanchett finds out in this drama. Blanchett
plays Mary Mapes, the producer of CBS’ primetime news program 60 Minutes Wednesday. In the months
leading up to the 2004 presidential election, 60 Minutes airs a story about President George W. Bush receiving
preferential treatment from his superiors at the Texas Air National Guard, with
memos allegedly authored by Bush’s commander Lt. Col. Jerry Killian as proof.
Mapes, her team and veteran news anchor and 60
Minutes presenter Dan Rather (Redford) come under fire after the program is
aired, with multiple viewers calling the veracity of the documents procured by 60 Minutes into question. Rather,
hitherto a widely respected figure in broadcast news, finds his reputation
threatened as Mapes scrambles to defend herself and prove that 60 Minutes did not lie to the American
public.
Truth is based
on Mapes’ 2005 memoir entitled “Truth and
Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power.”
Writer/director James Vanderbilt adapted the book for the screen and he makes
his directorial debut with this film. Because Mapes’ account of events is the
primary source, it cannot be expected that Truth
is an objective depiction of the Killian Documents controversy, which came to
be colloquially known as “Memogate” and “Rathergate”. The 60 Minutes story was one of the first pieces of investigative
broadcast journalism to be dissected and torn apart online by bloggers and CBS
was blasted for apparently exhibiting a liberal bias by running the anti-Bush story
without thoroughly verifying these documents. Somewhere in there, there’s a
gripping tale of the profound responsibility that journalists must uphold and Truth did get this reviewer invested in
Mapes’ journey, but the film is pervaded with a sense of heavy-handed
portentousness and turns out to be far less incisive than it thinks it is.
Contrary to its title, Truth can’t help but feel phony at times. While this is a slicker,
better-made film than many directorial debuts, Vanderbilt’s attempts to drum up
the excitement and establish grave stakes feel slightly overblown. One of the
culprits is Brian Tyler’s musical score, which heaves with bombast and sounds
like something out of Air Force One. Quaid
plays Col. Roger Charles, a member of Mapes’ investigative team, and it seems
his primary function is to dispense exposition. There is a cringe-worthy scene
set in a plane in which Charles explains to freelance reporter Mike Smith
(Grace) that Mapes’ father physically abused her and that Mapes sees Rather as
a father figure. There are also so many “what have I done?” moments in which
realization dawns on Mapes that the scandal has taken another terrible turn,
that it borders on self-parody.
Vanderbilt’s trump card is his cast, especially lead
performers Blanchett and Redford who are expectedly excellent. In spite of how
many times the story trips over itself, the duo carries it to the finish line
in tandem. Blanchett’s Mapes is doggedly persistent and suffers no fools,
someone who is dedicated to her job and witnesses her life’s work crumbling
around her. Truth would very much
obviously like us to take Mapes’ side, and Blanchett’s portrayal of her ensures
that we do – at least up until the movie ends and we start reflecting on the
proceedings in-depth. Redford bears little physical resemblance to the famous
newsman, and when playing someone so recognisable, perhaps physical resemblance
should count for something. However, he has no trouble at all creating a warm,
trustworthy and respectable figure and the interaction between Redford and
Blanchett does possess a degree of heart.
The rest of the characters are disappointingly
two-dimensional; propping up the story as it progresses – Grace is the comic
relief, lying on the couch, tossing a baseball in the air and asking the rest
of the people in the room “you guys feel like pizza?” Quaid, as mentioned earlier, recaps things “as you know”-style for
the audience. Moss, as associate producer Lucy Scott, has precious little to
do. The various CBS higher-ups grumble/yell at Mapes and her team, occasionally
flinging objects across the room in frustration. It turns out that securing
Blanchett and Redford is a casting coup not just because they’re talented
actors but because there’s little else to recommend in the film beyond them.
Truth is made
with polish but lacks finesse, an indignant cry that is far from altogether
convincing in making us re-evaluate the events of over 10 years ago. The film desperately
wants viewers to see Mapes and Rather as righteous martyrs laying their careers
on the line and going down with their ship, a point of view that CBS has
slammed. It’s not a case of “here are the facts; draw your own conclusions”
because of the side the film takes, but the look behind the scenes at the
politics of journalistic ethics, however flawed, is nonetheless fascinating. Perhaps
Vanderbilt did as a good a job as possible with the stipulation that Mapes and
Rather must be portrayed as the good guys, but then again, it feels like the
title “Truth?” would be a better fit.
Summary: Truth is clumsy, preachy and
Oscar-baity, not entirely successful in convincing viewers that its
protagonists’ lapses in judgement were justifiable and forgivable. However,
it’s impossible to overlook Blanchett and Redford’s stellar performances.
RATING: 3
out of 5 Stars
Jedd Jong
