The Report (2019 dir. by Scott Z. Burns)
Most political drama films are hit-or-miss in my opinion. The Report is good because Adam Driver and Annette Bening are very good actors. The movie itself is not necessarily one that I would call interesting. Maybe because I feel like 9/11 is an event that I no longer wish to watch explored on film? Unless we want to explore Islamophobia that exists in the US as a result of the event and the way the US tries to act very innocent as if we have not been abominable. As you can see, 9/11 just strums up very real feelings and film has not necessarily been the best outlet to cover this tragedy and the subsequent sociological fallout.
This film is based on the 6700 page Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture written by staffer Daniel Jones and the SIC as they investigate the use of torture by the CIA after the events of 9/11. The film starts with Dianne Feinstein asking Jones to begin investigating the 2005 destruction of CIA interrogation tapes. The film then condenses the report and explores the ten years of political intrigue behind devious acts engaged in by the CIA.
The film is partly based on the Vanity Fair article “Rorschach and Awe” written by Katherine Eban. The film is interesting because people act like this investigation is unprecedented and reflects well in the US that we would launch such an investigation that would incriminate our own federal government. But I am just like...wow this country has always been doomed. LOL.
The film stars Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Morrison, Tim Blake Nelson, Ted Levine, Michael C. Hall, Maura Tierney, Sarah Goldberg, and many more. Made on an $8 million budget, the film was distributed by Amazon Studio and had a brief, limited theatrical release before being put on Prime Video for viewing. It released to positive reviews, but nothing crazy overwhelming. 66/100 on Metacritic and 7.18/10 average rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most praise went to Bening of course for her performance, which earned her awards recognition and even a Golden Globe nom. It’s a good film. But a fair cut. SAVING: Spy