Starring: Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Allison Brie, David Cross
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release date: 19th January 2018
It’s 1966 and the Vietnam War is at its height. There is a reporter called Daniel Ellsberg on assignment in the jungle and he makes notes of all that’s going on around him. We move forward in time to 1971 and to the offices of The Washington Post. They hear that The New York Times has acquired some damning documents, known as The Pentagon Papers, which prove that The Whitehouse lied about the Vietnam War. There is a huge uproar from the President and his Government and he bans The Times from publishing any further documents. One of the guys that works for The Post, Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) says he knows an old friend that might be able to help them out with some of the Top Secret information. He heads off to track him down, phoning round places he knows that he might be. He finally finds him and it soon becomes clear that this is not just ‘some guy’. The documents he possesses are meticulously photocopied and Ben hops on a plane with the precious cargo. These are dangerous times for the Press, and if The Post decides to publish, even though The Times has a ban against it, they risk some serious jail time and also their reputation. Can they make the right decision or will The Government win this vicious war of words?
Based on true events, ‘The Post’ tells the story of Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) and her team of reporters at the Washington Post. Partially led by Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), the Post’s Managing Editor, the team fought for the freedom of speech that the Press so badly needed. They were trailblazers of their time, and made decisions that could have led to their ultimate demise.
The Vietnam War began in 1955 and would roll on until its end in April of 1975. President Richard Nixon served for the bulk of the time and he resigned in 1974. The war was extremely unpopular in the US and many public protests took place as a result.
With a cast as star-studded as this; Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep to name but two of them, there can be a lot of expectation put upon the end movie. Before it’s even released, there is a distinct ‘Oscars Buzz’ around this movie. The mere mention of its’ lead cast is enough to have the bookmakers taking bets on Oscar glory for both actors and the story itself.
Stories like this one, which are based on fact, can sometimes be difficult to follow. The plots tend to become muddy and you begin to get confused as to who’s doing what and where. ‘The Post’ though is nothing of the sort. A very straight forward story with a believable and very strong cast, it does the job. We’ve all heard the stories about the US during those terrible years that the Vietnam War was raging..Political turmoil and public protests.
If you want to watch some world class acting and also see what all the fuss is about, give ‘The Post’ a watch. I love both Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep and seeing them act together is brilliant. Have a watch and make your own mind up.
Overall: 8/10
