The Report

'The Report' couldn't get made at a better time. With everything happening in today's American and global political climate, it shows how little the general public actually is allowed to know about whatever happens within the borders of their government buildings. An entire country is at stake when secrets come out, that shouldn't have been secrets in the first place when laws get executed correctly.

Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver), gets tasked by his boss, Senator of California Diane Feinstein (Annette Bening), to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program. Jones' relentless pursuit of the truth leads to findings that uncover the lengths to which the nation's top intelligence agency went to destroy evidence, subvert the law, and hide a shocking secret from the American public.

Scott Z. Burns hasn't directed a feature length film since 2006's 'Pu-239'. Having previously written films such as, 'The Laundromat', 'Side Effects' and 'Contagion', it seems he has a very good work relationship with this films' producer Steven Soderbergh (director of last named films). With 'The Report' he knows what he's going for and doesn't hold back on any occasion. The story goes off like a missile, and only slows down when hitting its target at the finish line. That might be a challenge for some viewers, but the suspense throughout the second and third act is rare and delivers what political polymaths are looking for. To those who aren't particularly interested in politics and cover-ups, this might be a tough one to sit through.

Adam Driver, is truly on a roll these last couple of years. With two more films on the horizon in the last two months of 2019 ('Marriage Story' and 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'), it seems there's no stopping him in becoming one of the most talented actors of this generation. He shows just how focused and career driven he is as his character Daniel J. Jones. He's unsurpassed and will definitely get recognition for his hard work coming awards season.

What plays like a political 'Social Network', could've benefited from a rewrite by Aaron Sorkin, just to streamline it a bit more. The dialogues are heavy and littered with dark humour, but without any real character development, it misses the opportunity to make the audience connect with anyone on a deeper level. You never get to look behind the suits into their homes. The mental struggles of being accused of whistleblowing and torturing people, must take its toll on politicians and CIA-agents, no? We get little hints at their personal lives when being interrogated by government officials, but this is all just small talk. It does go without saying, Greg O'Bryant deserves much praise for editing this film. I wonder how long the rough cut must've been.

There's a wide range of well known actors passing by as fundamental characters in the big scheme of things. Annette Bening, brilliant actor taking on the full look and characteristics of Senator Feinstein, doesn't have many explosive scenes to wow, but is subtly captivating. Corey Stoll, Jon Hamm, Maura Tierney and Michael C. Hall all have important parts to keep things moving, but with the little amount of screen time fail to impress with anything more than acceptable.

Burns' 'The Report' is an important watch, delivering facts in a striking manner. It's worth watching for Driver's performance alone, observing a man who loves doing his job and excels at it. A history lesson in American politics and terrorism with a little dig at propaganda filmmaking and journalism, and a big spotlight on the CIA's misconduct.

Scott Z. Burns has managed to create a contained, focused and relevant drama on important and true events. The movie is just as dedicated and willful as its main hero Daniel J. Jones, portrayed effectively by Adam Driver. Some will find it dry, some will rate it based on their political agendas, some will bash Adam Driver (for reasons I have never understood), but I think, while not without flaws, "The Report" is an admirable effort.

I'm thousands of miles away from the land of America, but I was at least vaguely familiar with the facts and happenings "The Report" is based on, the larger canvas was clear to me. "The Report" is not a spectacle, it's not overly dramatic, but moves at an even pace, offers constant flow of plot development instead of boredom - these are also the reasons why some may describe the movie as dry, promising a delivery that never comes - I get that, but I also disagree. Another satisfying aspect is the more than stellar cast, even most of the really small roles are filled by talented and known faces. Adam Driver has never failed me before, also not this time & I don't know wether the hate for him is a meme or just another dismissible and disrespectable creation by our ever degrading virtual society. I was slightly disappointed about Jon Hamm, whose face on the poster turned out to be more of a marketing device, as his total screen time amounted to around 10 minutes, maybe. I love me some Jon Hamm. All jokes aside, "The Report" might not be an exceptional, but definitely is a great effort on every level of filmmaking - acting, writing and directing included. If we talks visuals, the cinematography and aesthetical mood does nothing but adds to the overall tone and cinematic flow.

"The Report" is easy to disappear in, it's an engaging re-telling of a morally messed up events & through a convincing performance by Adam Driver we are able to identify with the subject in question. As far as political and true-events-based dramas go, "The Report" is a remarkable piece. My rating: 8/10.

It took Senate staffer Daniel Jones seven years to compile the 6,700-page report that brought this and other failings to light - a laborious process unpicked by writer/director Scott Z. Burns (whose script credits include The Bourne Ultimatum and No Time To Die) in a talky yet engrossing drama intentionally reminiscent of All The President's Men. Tasked by Senator Dianne Feinstein (a coolly commanding Annette Bening) with leaving no stone unturned, Jones - infused here with simmering indignation by a driven Adam Driver - systematically details the brutalities inflicted on all of the Agency's 119 detainees. Having assembled his torture dossier, though, Jones faces another uphill struggle to get it published. As Matthew Rhys' reporter ruefully observes, "they sent you off to build a boat they had no intention of sailing." As vessels go, The Report is one so overloaded with names, dates, flashbacks and acronyms it's a wonder it stays afloat. That it does should be attributed not just to the dogged conviction Driver exudes as its righteous hero but also to the film's unshakeable belief that the ugly truth will ultimately out. Burns' film is not an easy watch, not least when it depicts what took place in Langley's infamous "black sites". Like the harrowing data that inspired it, though, it defies redaction.

A very interesting and shocking lesson in history. It does not disclose anything we did not know before but it is shocking to see how much it was tried to be hidden. We got a lot of disclosure movies like this in the part and this is one of those that can be perfectly put in line with many classics off its kind. The acting was great. Adam Driver put so much energy into his role. It really shows. And even though not much back ground information or special character traits were developed for his role, he portrayed it on such a human and realistic way. Hands down one of the best best lead performances of the year so far. Annette Being was similar powerful. What made her performance was so special was the subtleness of it... not one of Bening's specialities as she is a very theatrical actress, but here she showed her calmer side and shows the same intensity as usual. I also enjoyed Jon Hamm and many of the other supporting players, there was not one weak performance. The screenplay was great, I only had some issues with the different time lines all the time, but it was effetely solved by working with colors. A really good lesson in recent history. Not dry at all, although it looks like it. Recommended.

It tells an engaging and disturbing story of someone who is willing to go after giants, even though the chances of winning are slim. Thank you for choosing what is right, but not what's easy.