Intense, Compelling & Entertaining

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2004)

You know you have a good movie when scenes of a man on the phone taking notes are amongst the best. Some of the best footage in this picture is Robert Redford making call after call, fiercely scribbling, scarcely believing his own ears.
All The President's Men is a truly great film from many standpoints - film making, historical overview, social importance. It works from all angles and is entertaining above all.
The subject matter is handled perfectly. Rather than make a movie about Watergate (which we all know), they writers wisely made a movie about the investigating of Watergate. We know the outcome, we know many of the key facts. That is why we can get even more enraged when Woodward and Burnstein are lied to and mislead.
The social importance of this movie cannot be overstated either. Watching ATPM now seems almost like a documentary. We must keep in mind that this was made while Watergate was still fresh in the country's mind and that the divisive, partisan wounds were still healing. A gutsy move, but a successful one.
All elements of this film strike the perfect tone continually. It is presented in such a way as to throw information at you from all angles, confusing and jumbled, with lies and half-truths woven in everywhere. This is done to give the viewer the same paranoid sense of futility that the reporters on this case truly must have had.
Also of note is the fact that this film is very neutral. It does not Republican bash any more than it has to. That is key to its success.
A nearly perfect film. **** out of ****.