UNITED STATES
Kansas City Star
BY JON NICCUM
movies@kcstar.com
“You sure you want to hear this (expletive)?” a survivor of sexual abuse asks a reporter.
That’s a question you’ll probably ask yourself when debating whether to watch “Spotlight,” a “based on actual events” drama about the Boston Globe staffers who uncovered an epidemic of pedophile priests and cover-ups orchestrated by the Catholic Church.
The subject already provokes rage and/or revulsion without having to endure a step-by-step procedural. But this stark and effective prestige picture makes the experience palatable by approaching the material with journalistic tenacity.
Taking a page from “All the President’s Men,” “Spotlight” introduces a mismatched handful of reporters and editors working at the Globe in 2001. Looking to streamline the publication, solemn new editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) focuses on the paper’s Spotlight team. This investigative branch is led by the dogged Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), dedicated to spending months on a single story.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.