The Report

The Report is based on a real Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into EIT, or enhanced interrogation techniques - a phrase we all know and one that is kindly considered the work of a marketing department on how best to sell torture given that people (and lawyers) generally have a problem with torture. It is unsurprisingly fairly blunt on the approach taken and how wrong it was. This approach makes it an important and worthy film, but also makes it a slightly lesser one.

By being so obviously outraged the film plays to the choir a bit too much (a choir that contains me, if it matters). This translates into a directness and obviousness that feels a bit too simplistic and by the numbers; this is not me suggesting that it needed to make excuses for those involved, however it could have been more nuanced with the journey and had the confidence that at the end of it the viewer would still recognise how wrong this was. In not doing this, the film is still interesting, but it feels lacking in conversation and world building, instead very much making its point. Of course for me I agree with the point, so I went with the film, but it is very on-the-nose with what it does and how it structures it. In terms of delivery though, it does do well to make the writing of a report and reading of documents to be dramatic. The cuts in time work well to put meat on the bones and helps to mix the political, ethical, and real life aspects of it

The cast is impressive in name and performance. Driver does the heavy lifting, but there is plenty of solid support from Hamm, Bening, Hall, Nelson, Levine, and others. Production values are solid throughout, and are part of it feeling like a serious, important film. It stands as such, and is a good dramatic read on a shameful period of recent history that is already mostly forgotten as it gets eclipsed by other shameful moments, and goes unmarked by the lack of consequences for those behind it. It is more important than engaging though, and could have been a stronger film for embracing the complexity more than it did.

The quality of the actors should tell you this is a worthy story to be told. So concentrate it's a complicated tale that spans years and crosses party lines. Diane Feinstein puts a tenacious man in charge of looking into torture by the CIA. There is a lot to learn about torture. The movie shows both sides with this povs. The justifiers want to prevent another attack and save lives. The critics say in the majority of times it doesn't work, they only get info they already know and sometimes they get the wrong guy. Their aren't many movies telling how a government agency does bad things. This is one of the few. Adam Driver gives a convincing performance - outraged when he needs to be but not overacted. Annette Bening plays Feinstein. A host of familiar faces add credibility to supporting roles. This movie keeps a complex issue clear and highlights the opposition to the report from both political parties. A brave movie.

It tells an engaging and disturbing story of someone who is willing to go after giants, even though the chances of winning are slim. Thank you for choosing what is right, but not what's easy.

Being the country where the movie industry thrives the most, it's only natural that a lot of the scripts, are actually about that same country's history

I've seen a lot of american movies, based on true political events that have continuously shocked me to my core, on how powerful law enforcement and government institutions keep getting away with the most inhuman actions, and even worse, these actions being completely ignored or supported by the people

I get it, the political climate in the US will make people dislike the movie if they tend to support a specific political color, given the interventionists, however as a non-american I appeal everyone to look away on political ideology and really absorb the message, as being ignorant is no longer an excuse. It's not about politics, race or whatever other topic that keeps dividing people, it's about the total lost of humanity

As a movie is well executed and conveys the event's story line in a concise and organized fashion. Adam Driver delivers, and the high score goes for the message and awareness!

How astonishingly difficult it is to deal with the CIA inour system of government.