Truth (2015)

Film about the Killian documents controversy and producer Mary Mapes September 2004 Sixty Minutes II story, which accused then president George W. Bush of going AWOL from the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War era, this during a presidential election which had also seen charges calling into question the war record of Bush's general election opponent Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Certainly a competently made movie, I had a little trouble seeing its point. Why make this movie? There are certainly better films about investigative reporting, in fact Cate Blanchet, who plays Mapes in this film, also stared in the 2003 journalism movie Veronica Gurein, which is arguably a more engaging film. This film is based on Mapes own book about the controversy Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power, and leaves the impression that the authenticity of the Killian documents is at worst uncertain, though I had been under the impression they had pretty well been proved forgeries. In fact one of this films problems is that it was not able to install desire in me to investigate its claims much further. The cast is good but largely wasted, with Blanchet giving it her all, Topher Grace giving it some, and Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss, and Bruce Greenwood collecting paychecks. Robert Redford is good as Dan Rather, who must have been just thrilled about the casting. For those who don't know the story depicted in this movie is what ultimately costs Rather his position as anchor of the CBS Evening News. See Spotlight instead. **1/2