All the President's Men is a riveting, real life account of Washington Post investigative reporters, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), uncovering the Watergate scandal that fueled President Nixon's resignation. This film was released in 1976, so it's quite remarkable how quickly this was released so shortly after the events transpired.
Alan J. Pakula's tale is fast paced and hooks us right from the beginning as it cues the Watergate breach. It's very tightly structured and starts very small, building outwards. We're presented with one minute anomaly, or outlier, and then, through Woodward and Bernstein's unearthing in this investigation, everything snowballs and manifests itself into a stunning conspiracy.
This scandal is widely renown and remembered by historians and people who lived through it. What's so captivating, though, is Pakula revealing a behind-the-scenes look at how the story broke, as one clue after another was uncovered. From the first anomaly, and traveling further down the rabbit hole, we are so engaged that we can't look away.
There's a lot covered over the course of this two plus hours. Redford and Hoffman having a marvelous chemistry that is very likeable and easily relatable. Seeing them work as a team is a wonder to see, as they are relentless in uncovering the truth. They're fearless and tenacious without overstepping bounds in their hunger for a story. These two aren't the most intimately dramatic actors, but certainly find a comfort here taking simple scenes to new levels. Woodward and Bernstein were outnumbered and against all odds, but surged through as they built steam, just like pacing, which moves along.
All the President's Men won a lot of much deserved praise as it's an eye-opener for those who aren't familiar with the corruption of the time that could be viewed as a springboard for our present day problems. Pakula's direction is excellent, stressing the repetition that these reporters did day in and day out in their desperation for the truth. Pakula even used his artistic flare to further the embedment of newspaper reporting as bookends. All the President's Men maintains discipline with refined details of an engaging, realistic portrayal of a conspiracy that would have been negated if it wasn't for two reporters' relentlessness.
John Berkowitz
All the President's Men
All the President's Men is a riveting, real life account of Washington Post investigative reporters, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), uncovering the Watergate scandal that fueled President Nixon's resignation. This film was released in 1976, so it's quite remarkable how quickly this was released so shortly after the events transpired.
Alan J. Pakula's tale is fast paced and hooks us right from the beginning as it cues the Watergate breach. It's very tightly structured and starts very small, building outwards. We're presented with one minute anomaly, or outlier, and then, through Woodward and Bernstein's unearthing in this investigation, everything snowballs and manifests itself into a stunning conspiracy.
This scandal is widely renown and remembered by historians and people who lived through it. What's so captivating, though, is Pakula revealing a behind-the-scenes look at how the story broke, as one clue after another was uncovered. From the first anomaly, and traveling further down the rabbit hole, we are so engaged that we can't look away.
There's a lot covered over the course of this two plus hours. Redford and Hoffman having a marvelous chemistry that is very likeable and easily relatable. Seeing them work as a team is a wonder to see, as they are relentless in uncovering the truth. They're fearless and tenacious without overstepping bounds in their hunger for a story. These two aren't the most intimately dramatic actors, but certainly find a comfort here taking simple scenes to new levels. Woodward and Bernstein were outnumbered and against all odds, but surged through as they built steam, just like pacing, which moves along.
All the President's Men won a lot of much deserved praise as it's an eye-opener for those who aren't familiar with the corruption of the time that could be viewed as a springboard for our present day problems. Pakula's direction is excellent, stressing the repetition that these reporters did day in and day out in their desperation for the truth. Pakula even used his artistic flare to further the embedment of newspaper reporting as bookends. All the President's Men maintains discipline with refined details of an engaging, realistic portrayal of a conspiracy that would have been negated if it wasn't for two reporters' relentlessness.
