I’m a lover of historical dramas filled with information that is presented in a gripping and entertaining manner. The first film that comes to mind that in my opinion fits that description perfectly is The Big Short. The people behind that film–Adam McKay, Charles Randolph, and Michael Lewis–knew fully well that they were presenting a heavy and detail-filled topic with lots of numbers and legal jargon. What they successfully–no, masterfully developed was an intriguing story that balanced fact with witty delivery from a talented cast. They blended the buildup to the devastating economic collapse with level-handed comedy–not slapstick or raunch, but a “this actually happened and we let it” comedy. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay (McKay and Randolph) and was even viewed by Congress.
I hope Amazon’s The Report receives the same level of attention.
Now available on the mega retailer’s streaming service, The Report stars Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker, Marriage Story, BlacKkKlansman) as Daniel J. Jones, the idealistic Senate staffer tasked by his boss, Senator Diane Feinstein (played beautifully by the iconic Annette Bening), to lead an investigation into the CIA’s post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program. Through the investigation, Jones uncovers the truth behind the development of the controversial “enhanced interrogation techniques,” the fabricated success rate of those techniques, and how the CIA attempted to cover it up. Rounding out the cast is Ted Levine as John Brennan, Jon Hamm as Obama cabinet member Denis McDonough, and Maura Tierney as “Bernadette,” as well as Tim Blake Nelson and Matthew Rhys.
Written and directed by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Informant!, The Bourne Ultimatum), The Report is 12o minutes of suspenseful deep-diving into a hidden secret within the annals of the country’s top intelligence agency. In a report that reaches 7,000 pages, Burns and company grab the viewer by the throat as Driver’s Jones goes deeper and deeper into the truth regarding the highly questionable (and unethical) treatment of prisoners—tactics that were heavily denounced by decades-long interrogators. The investigation is just half the story as Burns presents the next obstacle for Jones: revealing the report to the American people.
If you enjoy intense, “based on a true story” historical films the level of The Big Short, The Post, and All The President’s Men, The Report needs to be added to your Amazon Prime queue right this second.
Rating: A.
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