The Post (12A) - Movie Review

The order of the day in ‘The Post’ is a step back to a place and time when the White House in the Vietnam War era, and the national media were all wrestling with their own consciences.
Most know the gist of the Watergate story, ie burglars with links to the Nixon (Republican) White House were caught robbing the Watergate building, which was the Democratic Party headquarters.  However this motion picture, directed by Steven Spielberg tells a story that predates the 1972 burglary.
An employee of the American military, Daniel Ellsberg, played by Matthew Rhys discovers a major government cover-up concerning Vietnam, which dated back to the 1950s.  Ellsberg copies the documents, and passes some of them to the New York Times, who publishes them as a major scoop.  
Welsh actor, Rhys is currently starring in the Cold War US tv drama, ‘The Americans’.
The Washington Post editor and management are livid with missing the story, but after a period of cat and mouse, the Post eventually manages to get a full copy of the report, which gives a damning to previous US governments.  Court and judges comes into the equation, and huge battles begin between, government, court, editor and journalists, and the Washington Post’s owner.
In the movie, ‘The Post’, the set of the major US newspaper is almost a direct copy of the one in the brilliant 1976 Watergate movie, ‘All the President’s Men’, and the two movies could be looked at as companions. 
‘The Post’ gives a terrific insight into how things used to be done before mobile phones, and digital this and that.  Here it’s all telephones and typewriters, and pure sweat, blood and tears in smoke-filled rooms.  It’s also interesting to watch the true depiction of the 1971 US lifestyle, ie many people smoking everywhere.
Meryl Streep is nominated for an Oscar as Katherine Graham, and while she delivers a good performance, it is no better than any she has done before.   The role wasn’t her most challenging, like when she played Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’ in 2012, and deservedly won the Oscar.
Tom Hank’s role was challenging as editor Ben Bradlee – a strong character, who was played by Jason Robards in the 1976 Watergate movie   
There are great supporting performances from the likes of Sarah Paulson as Bradlee’s wife, Bradley Whitford, Allison Brie and Bruce Greenwood.
The movie is palatable, and is one to savour.  They don’t tell many strongly told stories like this anymore, writes David Flynn.