Nothing But the Truth

Based on a true story, Rod Lurie’s “Nothing But the Truth” observes the reality of freedom of speech in this country. Is one's loyalty to an anonymous source more important than to their government? This movie examines whether this right is covered under the First Amendment.

Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) is a journalist at the Capitol Sun-Times in Washington D.C. Armstrong finds out secret information, and writes a story revealing the identity of a covert CIA agent, Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga). However, the source asks to remain anonymous.

The strong-willed Armstrong refuses to reveal her source to anyone. As a result, she is ordered by the court to be sent to jail. They believe that once she spends time in jail, she will be more likely to reveal her source. The movie follows her story as she spends those endless days in jail.

While her husband, Ray (David Schwimmer), supported her throughout it all, her marriage begins to fall apart with time because of the distance from her husband and her son.

Lurie creates an excellent film which examines the difficulties journalists face on a daily basis. Creating a movie about a current debate topic is extremely effective in reaching viewers. Whether a journalist or not, viewers can engage in the movie by having their own opinion about the topic.

Lurie also creates very well-written, dramatic scenes. In those heat-of-the-moment scenes, the audience feels engaged and right there in the scene. In addition to these scenes, the acting throughout the movie is well-done.

One critique of “Nothing But the Truth” is its length. It is too long in some of the scenes, in particular the jail scenes. These scenes seem to drag on and could have been shortened. Finally, the best part of the entire movie was the ending. It is very unpredictable and well-written. It is a very good ending to which a sequel could be written.

In a heated dispute, a journalist must decide whether her job or her integrity is more important, while also not losing the ones she loves.

Written by: Jackie McClellan

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