The Post

This review may contain spoilers!

A film that is driven by the cast through and through; yet ultimately a rather dull film to watch. I would give The Post a 6.5/10.

This is the sort of film that is dialogue and character-rich; you are immediately grabbed by the really compelling amount of detail put behind these roles and their performances; not to mention the exquisite manner dialogue between roles is constructed. The degree of intrigue is carefully built up as the film progresses, you actively want to see how this ultimately plays out and the tone is maintained throughout the film. The cinematography is classic Spielberg; with elaborate and active moments in which set pieces, props or crowds are captured and a deliberate, subtle intimacy utilised for dialogue scenes.

Meryl Streep, who played Kay Graham, portrays a very conflicted, anxious woman who is uncertain of herself for a lot of the feature; Streep does a great job of sowing the seeds for her character's growth in confidence and leadership by the end of the third act. Bob Odenkirk, who played Ben Bagdikian, is quite a goofy, impulsive role who launches himself into one of the more active plotlines; Odenkirk lends an abrasive nature to this character too and you can see how the role flounders in the face of adversity he caused or can't prevent. Bradley Whitford, who played Arthur Parsons, is fantastic as the blunt, frank board member of The Washington Post; Whitford develops a relationship with Streep that isn't malicious but shows a great deal of conflict, which is fascinating to see unfold. Bruce Greenwood, who played Robert McNamara, is a guarded figure uncertain of how to retaliate in the eye of a great scandal; Greenwood's stern demeanour conceals a vulnerable and frantic character who isn't sure how to survive from the disaster that has befallen his reputation. Jesse Plemons, who played Roger Clark, is a role that comes across as very flustered and staggered when he's introduced in what is quite a whirlwind of a scene; yet later Plemons gives us a glimpse of the hard-edge confrontational manner his role does possess. Michael Stuhlbarg, who played Abe Rosenthal, is a quietly confident and self-assured role that has fine chemistry with Streep; Stuhlbarg firmly sets himself as a leader and a fierce competitor with the screen time he has in The Post.

However, the best performance came from Tom Hanks, who played Ben Bradlee. There is a point during this film in which Hanks' role is described as being akin to a pirate; that line captures the role almost perfectly. As Bradlee, Hanks had the most energy of any cast member, blasting his way through the set and through his lines. This was a commanding, intimidating presence; he treated the newsroom like a war room and the swirl of activity around him only solidified this to be the case. Hanks really grounded his role's morals firmly, even noting the ethics behind freedom of the press and the responsibilities the press has. I was impressed by the care and chemistry demonstrated by Hanks and Streep both; the film was only ever as good as the dialogues between these leading performers.

The problem with a film like this is that there isn't actually a great deal of content to talk about and a lot of what you're watching never really changes or develops much throughout. There are many scenes in which information is needlessly repeated three or four times to make things interesting but sadly this just makes you feel like there isn't actually enough behind the true story to warrant the making of a full-length feature film. The editing for the film comes at a crawl, making an already poorly-paced narrative more difficult to bear. The score for the film is incredibly forgettable, no scenes are ever really lifted up or enhanced in terms of tone by the musical accompaniment.

Sarah Paulson, who played Tony Bradlee, is shunted to the background pretty hard for all of the film; you never much care about Hanks' character's home life and that is because the narrative never gives Paulson much of a chance to make a statement. Tracy Letts, who played Fritz Beebe, is a quiet role that never has the controlling feel attributed to his role; I was equally disappointed by the expectation that we should recognise a close relationship between Streep and him yet there was no chemistry there. Matthew Rhys, who played Daniel Ellsberg, lacks the screen presence for the enormous role his character plays within the film; Rhys isn't very convincing and so it's often up to others to lead the scene when sharing the spotlight with this role. Alison Brie, who played Lally Graham, is given such little to do throughout the film that you fail to realise she's playing Streep's daughter till about the third act; Brie doesn't really seem to know the purpose behind the role - it's certainly difficult to grasp as a viewer. Carrie Coon, who played Meg Greenfield, plays a very exaggerated performance that is becoming increasingly commonplace for predominantly male ensemble casts; Coon's character is a sort of 'firecracker' in amongst a bullpen of stocky reporters, it's a comical way to make the odd one out 'fit in' and it's a pretty poor way to write a character.