Wow. Just wow. I did not see that coming. As you might have already known, I'm not the usual kind of guy who enjoys politically charged movies, its just not my cup of tea. It either tends to be just pure propaganda BS or just plain preachy. There are some rare occasions however when handled by a man with a vision, all pretentiousness aside not taking sides whatsoever, the end result might turn out to be something great. Such rare occasion is this movie, I was just floored. Speechless. Its journalistic integrity vs national security, the government's ever growing control over the people vs freedom of speech, its all even handed arguments and this movie excellently fleshes it all out bit by bit until we reach the shocking conclusion. This is a movie that will captivate you, it goes past the glamour of its leading actors and all that hoopla and brings you right in the complexity of the story. It makes you think, it lubes up the rusty spots in your brain and gets you involved. After watching this movie, I just felt sad because this is the kind of movies Hollywood rarely makes anymore.
Rod Lurie, on double duty here both as a director and a writer deserves all the kudos he can get. He shines in both departments, there was no right wing-left wing backstory here, it was an unflinching and inspired look at some of today's current issues and it was handled very greatly. It was intense, it was emotional, it was hard hitting and it is definitely one of 2008's most underrated films. The acting department all turned in some very fine performances. Matt Dillon who exudes a commanding presence playing a special prosecutor. His unnerved emotions served greatly in portraying the role and its one of the best I've seen of him so far. Alan Alda plays a high powered attorney with gusto, I've never really been a fan of his but after this one, I'm gonna check out some of his other works soon. Kate Beckinsale turns in an intense performance as the reporter and this is by far her greatest performance to date. And lastly, Vera Farmiga who has always been a top dog in the acting department turns in a mesmerising and captivating portrayal of a hard edged CIA agent and yet also a caring mom to her daughter. Her portrayal was never out of tune and the delivery was as natural as one actress can get. God only knows why she wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the recently concluded Oscars.
The ending will just floor you and I promise you, you will not see it coming. Not by a long mile.
