Review: All the President’s Men
Directed by: Alan J. Paluka
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Jason Robards and Hal Holbrook
This true story tells the story of reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (played by Hoffman and Redford, respectively), who uncover the infamous Watergate scandal.
This political thriller has it all; great acting, great directing, and overall does a great job at keeping the entire audience guessing. It’s one of those stories that you can’t believe actually happened, even though it did! As we follow Bernstein and Woodward as they uncover more clues, the viewers are kept at the edges of their seats waiting to see what happens next.
Hoffman and Redford do a great job leading this story as the two reporters, and they both have a lot to give to their characters. Interesting fact about Hoffman and Redford’s performances: Hoffman memorized all of Redford’s lines, and vice versa, so they could interrupt each other mid-sentence. And, their connection shows, from their first meeting, where they’re almost acting in hostility towards each other, to when they become better acquaintences and even co-workers to solve this mystery.
Further in the shadows, literally, is Hal Holbrook, playing Deep Throat, the anonymous informant who hints Bernstein on how to continue with the case. Even from the shadows, Holbrook is at his most compelling.
One amazing scene that you should watch for is one 3+ minute scene, all in one shot, where Redford makes a few phone calls to try and uncover important information about the mystery (it’s around an hour in). Paluka’s direction has the camera barely moving, but slowly closing in on Redford’s head. Also, near the end of this scene, Redford accidentally makes a mistake, but, completely in character, fixes that mistake. It takes a great actor to be able to stay in character after making a mistake, especially considering how if he went out of character, that 3 minute shot would have to be done again from the beginning (the longer the shot, the harder it is to perfect).
So, I definitely recommend this movie to anybody!
Rating: 9/10
Keep on watching!
R.S.
Picture from http://www.calstatela.edu/library/mmc/100/all_president%27s_men.jpg
