Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Liz Hannah, Josh Singer
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk
IMDb Link
At this point I would be more surprised if the combination of Spielberg, Streep and Hanks didn't turn out something excellent. The Post is world-weary, well whipped up cinema, offering relevant commentary with strong turns from its performers and flexible direction that ebbs and flows with the tensity of the movie.
*
We return to 1971, America still very much embroiled in the Vietnam War, with the sudden publication of the revelation of the government's lies to the people about the state of the war through the release of excerpts from leaked top-secret papers. This nation-changing story is juxtaposed against the very personal one of Kay Graham (Streep), thrust in to the position of publisher of The Washington Post in the wake of her husband's suicide. She is embattled on all sides by investors and board members who don't believe in her, as well as her editor Ben's (Hanks) push to get involved with the publication of the top secret papers, and even the Nixon Administration as it tries to stifle the press' attempts to make more information public. The whole film is rich in detail and humanity, with even those historically placed in the negative positions at this time shown as flawed rather than evil (except Nixon, who's almost cartoonish in his villainy as the desk slamming shadow in the background). The political conflict is real, and even as the movie would have you side with the press and its policy of information above all else, there's definite pain the movie shares in admitting that the government did what it did. Likewise, the sheer intimacy of Kay's struggle is surprisingly touching despite there being generally little intensity; it only takes a few moments of her waking from an overworked slumber or fraught with indecision as she struggles with so much to sympathise with her, made all the easier by Streep's performance.
Streep really does give a great show here: she's vulnerable without being weak, stubborn but passionate and not unreasonable, and she's all of this sometimes with just the slightest of of touches. A force in her smile to hide a quivering lip, a tilt of her head to keep her mouth shut, its all a lot of subtlety to her craft. Sometimes the dialogue is a little cheesy and doesn't quite pull it off, but for the most part her performance pulls through despite that. Likewise, Hanks is a great counter to her, much more assertive in his passion for his work and a little sharper. The dialogue is fairly tame in this movie, but every time the words become cutting, Hanks is the one uttering them, and without missing a beat. Everyone else offers a strong performance too; it's a lot of good actors delivering quick pieces of efficient, smart dialogue, in a word, a talkie, so everyone just brings their A game to their smaller parts, clashing or bouncing off each other as the director would have them need to.
The direction in this film is quintessential Spielberg. You have moments of multiple characters talking over one another to simulate reality while also getting a lot of exposition out quickly; you have lithe long takes that move dynamically and deliberately while not trying to draw attention to themselves; you have plenty of scenes where the camera just stops and looks at the characters while they talk so that the audience can hear that what is being talked about is important and interesting enough on its own to justify just paying attention to. It's simply good film-making that allows the writing and actors to speak for themselves by highlighting, or de-emphasising as needed in subtle or methodical ways.
The Short Version: The Post is superbly made, relevant historical drama that gives its actors and writing the time they need to play well and remind the audience the importance of the freedom of the press.
Rating: 8/10
Published January 17th, 2017
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