The Report review: There have been many moments in America’s history that have brought into question those in power, namely in regards to their accountability. That same history has a tendency to repeat itself, whether looking at the war in Vietnam and Nixon, or with the more recent case that The Report concerns itself with. The lesson of the film is clear, there will always be those trying to hold those in positions of power to account, and there will always be a fight to be had; it is our own individual decision to choose which side of history we fall on.
Courtesy Of TIFF
Adam Driver portrays Daniel Jones, the Senate Staff member who was tasked with leading the investigation into the CIA’s methods of interrogation throughout the war on terror. What Jones produced would uncover a number of troubling and disturbing details about the CIA’s techniques, details which the CIA made great efforts to keep as under wraps as possible.
Scott Z. Burns, best known for his writing credits on such films as Contagion and Side Effects (Steven Soderbergh produces here), has taken one of the darker chapters in America’s recent history and packaged it in a tightly paced thriller that echoes the likes of Spotlight in its cool and calm approach to a matter pertaining to devastating facts.
With the real-world politics at its focus, Burns isn’t afraid to truly get into the grisly details that Jones uncovered in his 6,700 page report, and that can make for uncomfortable viewing. But, for the most part, much of the drama is mined from the relationships across the different departments of government and intelligence, both foreign and domestic. It is gob-smacking to see teams who are on the same side having to come to so much conflict over the mistakes of one of the branches of the overall tree, said branch being the CIA.
Much of what stirs tension is a sense of arrogance and ego within the ranks of the CIA, and their reluctance to admit to making mistakes in the fallout of 9/11. Burns sometimes runs a little too close to demonising the CIA, only every now and again addressing the fact that everyone was operating with an increased sense of paranoia for national security, operating in uncharted waters.
The film is very much dedicated to Jones’s idealistic mission for holding those responsible for the disturbing actions exacted by the agency. It has an agenda, and that agenda can sometimes get in the way of a little more debate, but it is certainly impassioned in telling its story in as eye-widening a fashion as possible and to celebrate the hard work of Jones and his team, as well as to articulate their frustrating journey to releasing a truthful account of actions that threatened the integrity of the United States on the world stage.
This drama is incredibly well performed across the cast of recognisable character actors. Driver is his dependable best, putting in a performance that feels enriched by research and a strong sense of personality. Small but significant turns from the likes of Tim Blake Nelson, Jon Hamm and Ted Levine also bring some thespian gravitas to the proceedings. But the real highlight of the cast is the brilliant Annette Bening, completely disappearing into Dianne Feinstein, displaying her strong-willed character and determined demeanour in a turn which commands the screen every time she appears.
The performances and the tightly edited proceedings make for an accessible and exceptionally well-acted account of a dark chapter in America’s recent history. It builds-up its facts in a meticulous fashion that makes the darker details easier to swallow with wit and a great sense of pacing. The script constructs its grenade of facts with a sense of tightly wound precision, placing each fragment with care so that when the grenade eventually goes off, it’s as effective as it can be. A vital account of a nation trying to ensure that they hold themselves accountable in the eyes of history.
The Report was reviewed at TIFF 2019.
