UNITED STATES
The Times-Picayune
By Mike Scott, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on November 19, 2015
Since the moment it arrived in theaters in 1976, Alan J. Pakula’s “All the President’s Men” has been held up, and deservingly, as the gold standard of journalism dramas. Chronicling the real-life efforts of two Washington Post scribes to unravel the many unanswered questions surrounding the Watergate break-in, it not only inspired a generation of noble-minded young reporters, but it was a cracking good bit of storytelling.
In fact, while the four intervening decades have brought no shortage of other films fueled by the built-in drama of the Fourth Estate, Pakula’s film has remained more or less in a class by itself.
Until now.
“Spotlight” arrives in theaters Friday (Nov. 20), and while one could make an argument that “All the President’s Men” is still the reigning champion of modern journo dramas, director Tom McCarthy’s gripping behind-the-scenes tale of shoe-leather journalism — which plays out with the pacing and momentum of a thriller — at long last makes the debate an interesting one.
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