IN THEATRES: The Post

In 1971, the Washington Post, a local paper in the US Capital, found itself at war with the US Government when it received the Pentagon Papers, a secret report on the history of America's decades-long involvement in Vietnam.

This movie hit me in so many different ways. As a history buff, as an ex-pat and as someone who trained as a journalist - this movie resonated in a lot of ways.

A passionate tribute to the Fourth Estate, The Post is a movie moulded in the dumpster fire of Trump's America. It might be the most urgent and pointed film in Steven Spielberg's career.

A companion piece to Alan J Pakula's classic All The President's Men, The Post is both a thematic sequel and a narrative prequel. The movie even includes an easter egg at the climax that literalizes the connection between the two films.  

In an era defined by over-stuffed runtimes and empty exercises in visual style, The clarity of Speilberg's direction and the script by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer is a breath of fresh air. There are a few scenes involving long takes which are completely seamless - they are never used as mere technical exercises, but are completely functional within the context of the story. The camera tracks editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) through offices, newsrooms, and - in one of the film's standout scenes - his house, as he bats away the paper's lawyers while reporters pour through sections of the Pentagon papers.

The performances are terrific. Hanks is good as Bradlee. I was not blown away, but he handles the role well. Bradlee is an important character, but he is not the central figure, which might be why he did not stand out to me.

Bob Odenkirk is great as Ben Bagdikian, the journalist who tracks down Daniel Ellsberg (The Americans' Jonathan Rhys), the whistle-blower responsible for smuggling the report out to the public. He lends the dogged reporter a jittery everyman quality that works to ram home the danger the Post is in.  His awkwardness and lack of overt bravery makes his ethical stand for publishing the report far more impactful. He knows what's at stake (and appears to be genuinely terrified of the consequences), but he is still willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Bruce Greenwood is also good as former Secretary of State Robert McNamara (star of Errol Morris's classic documentary The Fog of War). Greenwood is always great at playing intelligent authority figures, and that fits this conflicted, divisive figure to a T.

And now time for one of the great cliches of our time when it comes to movies starring Meryl Streep.

This movie starring Meryl Streep belongs to Meryl Streep. Playing publisher Kay Graham, if The Post has a central character it is her. The movie is as much about Graham learning to assert herself over the multitude of male voices telling her what to do. Beyond her performance, this storyline is the backbone of the movie - if the movie was not based around her, I don't know if the movie would resonate as much.

One of the main delights of the film is how it characterises this transformation. The expectation would be a sudden expression of steely resolve. Instead, Streep leans into the character's natural hesitance. The scene where she awkwardly decides to publish the findings from the Pentagon Papers, abruptly terminating a teleconference with various board members and paper staff, is brilliant. The Post never feels like a powerpoint of historical bullet points. Like Spielberg's Lincoln, it feels like people stumbling through significant moments without the audience's understanding of their significance.

The Post is a terrific and timely film that deserves a massive audience. Not just because of its message, but because it delivers its message with such power and precision. It is the best press the press could have right now.

On a related note, if you are interested in Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers, check out the 2009 documentary The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.