Let's be clear,
Spielberg is such a skilled director that he makes what is
essentially a bunch of people standing around talking and sorting
through documents into riveting drama. Even if it takes a bit of time
to really get going. Spielberg is usually at his best when he's telling
fantastical stories and takes us away on wild adventures. But he
knows the human experience inside and out and sometimes settles for
telling simple, human stories, adventures be damned. I'd still rank
“The Post” among his more middle of the road serious dramas. It's
still no match for classics like “Schindler's List” or “Munich”
but it works much better than another historical drama that also
functioned as a reflection of our current times, “Lincoln.” This
time you can't take your eyes off Streep instead of Daniel Day-Lewis.
Shockingly “The
Post” marks the first onscreen appearance of both Tom Hanks and
Meryl Streep together. Two of the most popular current actors of
today and they've never shared the screen. It makes for some great
power dynamics. Streep is Kay Graham who recently took over The
Washington Post after her husband's death. Hanks is Ben Bradlee the
editor-in-chief of the Post. What soon conspires is a game of wits
between the two as she struggles to keep the paper relevant and
afloat (while dealing with the company's IPO) while Bradlee struggles
to compete with other papers who seem to be getting all the good
stories. Soon they must work together and decide the moral and
ethical dilemma of publishing classified documents pertaining to the
government's years and years of mishandling of the Vietnam War.
Liz Hannah and Josh
Singer's screenplay make a ploy for social injustice and issues
though it doesn't tackle the themes as overtly as some films do.
Streep, as a woman stuck in a world surrounded by men (much like
Clarice Starling in “The Silence of the Lambs”) must overcome the
hurdles of a still patriarchal society as women's lib was in its
infantile stages at the time. It's no secret that the Pentagon Papers
as they became known, did end up being published, but because of
Spielberg's master craftsmanship he wrings plenty of suspense out of
what is essentially a very talky picture. The film takes its time
telling its story which is fine, though there's really nothing to
flashy about the way its told. This is sort of old fashioned
movie-making that harkens back to the gritty human dramas of the
1970s not unlike “All the President's Men.” Seeing Spielberg
return to the 1970s setting is a treat as it's a time period we
rarely get to see the seasoned filmmaker work in. All of his usual
team members adapt nicely to the time frame with John Williams simple
but nice score and Janusz Kaminski's expert camerawork. He also
wrings fantastic performances from his ensemble cast who make their
work seem too easy. Streep does particularly good work here but when
doesn't she?
Without getting too
political, there's a moment in the film when Nixon, shot with a
peering, zoom lens into the Oval Office, barks into a telephone that
Washington Post reporters are banned from the White House. It's an
altogether disturbing and unfortunate reflection of our current state
of affairs. Where the freedom of speech and the press are in much too
danger of no longer existing. In that way “The Post” transcends
itself as an “important work” and an interesting journalistic
procedural not unlike recent Best Picture winner “Spotlight”
(Singer wrote that as well). This docudrama remembers a time when even
journalists could be heroes in the absence of worthy political leaders. GRADE: B+
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