Truth review: While a little clunky in places, Truth delivers the goods, along with another superb performance by Blanchett.
Cate Blanchett leads the cast in her second powerhouse performance in a film featured at this year’s BFI London Film Festival. Following her turn in the ‘sublime’ masterpiece Carol, Blanchett takes on the George W. Bush administration in this captivating true story.
Truth revolves around the events of 2004 at CBS News’ flagship news show 60 Minutes. Blanchett appears as producer Mary Mapes, who has stumbled across ‘evidence’ that could expose the then President Of The United States as an election looms. The story that they choose to cover for an episode of the primetime program asks questions of Bush’s military service around the time of the Vietnam war. Not having the physical evidence to back up the content, and with questions raised over the authenticity of photocopied documents, Mapes and her team have to unite to save their careers, clear their names, and ultimately ensure that the ‘Truth’ is told.
Truth is an engrossing drama written and directed by the talented James Vanderbilt, the screenwriter who penned The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, as well as White House Down and the acclaimed David Fincher movie Zodiac back in 2007. His directorial debut, Truth is both captivating, interesting, and while it does at times throw a lot of detail at you, it’s relatively easy to keep up and stay involved in what’s happening.
Blanchett is, of course, fantastic in a very different role to the festival’s other favourite Carol; a super-strong performance that may even lead to a double nomination come award season. She’s backed up by the reliable efforts of Robert Redford, who is superb is the part of veteran broadcaster, CBS news anchor Dan Mather. The film boasts a superb supporting cast in Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace and the always excellent Bruce Greenwood as CBS News president Andrew Heyward.
Truth is a solid debut from Vanderbilt, and while a little clunky in places, and with a subject matter that some outside of the US would potentially not be familiar with, it still intrigues and raises a lot questions. Again, as has been a very common theme at the 2015 London Film festival, it’s a good movie made great by one particularly exceptional performance, in this case, once again, by the divine Cate Blanchett.
Definitely worth your attention.
Truth review by Paul Heath, October 2015.
Truth is playing at the BFI London Film Festival, 2015, is relased in the US on October 16th, 2015, and across the UK in 2016.
Latest Posts
-
Interviews
/ 5 hours agoInterview: Filmmaker Brett Harvey on new bodybuilding documentary ‘Breaking Olympia’
Brett Harvey follows up his Danny Trejo documentary with this superb look into one...
By Paul Heath -
Film News
/ 15 hours agoNew character posters land for the action-packed ‘Boy Kills World’
The film will explode onto the big screen in April.
By Paul Heath -
Film Trailers
/ 15 hours agoA trailer for Zack Snyder sequel film ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’
The film comes four months after the release of the first part of the...
By Paul Heath -
Film Trailers
/ 21 hours agoFull trailer for Netflix’s ‘Scoop’ with Gillian Anderson, Billie Pier and Rufus Sewell
Netflix has unveiled the full trailer for their upcoming drama feature Scoop which revolves...
By Paul Heath
Latest Reviews
-
Film Reviews
/ 1 day ago‘Immaculate’ review: Dir. Michael Mohan (2024)
Nuns and horror movies are popular bedfellows, with Michael Mohan’s Immaculate the latest genre...
By Kat Hughes -
Film Festivals
/ 2 days ago‘Cold Wallet’ review: Dir Cutter Hodierne [SXSW 2024]
Based on a slightly true story, Cold Wallet is a clever thriller from Cutter...
By Kat Hughes -
Film Reviews
/ 5 days ago‘Snack Shack’ review: Dir. Adam Rehmeier (2024)
Writer and director Adam Rehmeier accidentally started a cult when he released Dinner in...
By Kat Hughes -
Film Festivals
/ 6 days ago‘Things Will Be Different’ review: Dir. Michael Felker [SXSW 2024]
For years Michael Felker has worked as both an editor and short film director....
By Kat Hughes