Truth review: While a little clunky in places, Truth delivers the goods, along with another superb performance by Blanchett.
Truth review
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 review
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 review
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.
