A cornerstone of modern cinema and an all-time classic

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2004)

Early in the film "All the President's Men," Editor of the Washington Post Harry M. Rosenfield (Jack Warden) tells reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) that "Charles Colson, special counsel to the president, has a cartoon on his wall. The caption reads 'When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.'" This could just as easily apply to the film. "All the President's Men" grabs us with its first shot: an extreme close up of a typewriter banging out the date.
"All the President's Men" tells the story of Woodward and Bernstein, the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal and followed the story all the way through. The two fought to get the scoop, fought to tell the story, fought to find the truth, and then fought to get it published. The film is based on the book they wrote detailing the endeavor. Neither the book nor the movie brush up the relationship they had. Woodward is the new guy with the story, and Bernstein is the established reporter that wants in. He doesn't muscle in very discreetly, either. He takes Woodward's article and rewrites it, explaining that it lacks an effective news story structure.
From that point on, they are working together - almost against each other, really - each one trying to get the better scoop faster. Once they've got some hard evidence, they pass it on through the executive staff headed by Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards, in a role that won him an Oscar) and into the public consciousness. They face a lot of opposition. They can't get people on the phone, the paper is wary of printing their articles, and they are constantly given the run-around by all of their sources. The only person who gives them any real facts is Woodward's mysterious and to-this-date unidentified informer Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook).
Alan J. Pakula built a name for himself directing intelligent thrillers like "The Pelican Brief," "The Devil's Own," and "The Parallax View." With "All the President's Men," he uses his prowess to consistently hit all the right notes in telling a truly absorbing and suspenseful story. He is known to nuance his films and imbue as many accurate details as possible. Here he does just that, creating an utterly believable film that presents us with an in-depth look at the life of a journalist. We can discern a lot about them simply from his directorial choices. The only time we see them at home is asleep in a messy room about to be woken up by a phone call that will draw them back out to work. Another fine example is the presence of editor Harry M. Rosenfield. Early on in the film, he constantly looms in the frame, looking over the two reporters. As the film - and the story - progress, however, his presence is reduced to the point that he is only on screen when it comes to publishing time.
That sense of detail continues into the acting. The entire cast is perfectly chosen and deliver some of the best performances of their respective careers. Jason Robards gives a third dimension to what would have been a nothing role with Ben Bradlee, and his Oscar is well-deserved. He plays the poker-faced executive editor to perfection, only letting emotion slip out in a knock on a desk and a single clap as he walks away.
Many people will see this movie to learn about Watergate. They are wrong in doing so. This film, intentionally and smartly, never acts out the events of the scandal itself. The only time we see Nixon - or really any political figures - is on television broadcasts of choice events. The film is about Woodward and Bernstein, not Nixon, and one of the best things it does is jump right from them finally verifying and completing their story to the resignation of Nixon (represented only as facts-only type-out in a closing montage of news copies) to the credits. In "All the President's Men," when Woodward and Bernstein's story is over, there's nothing left to tell.
The film is a cornerstone of modern cinema, and one of the tightest dramas ever. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning the Supporting Actor (Robards), Screenplay, Art Direction, and Sound Oscars. It stands the test of time on many levels. First of all, it is solid movie-making. Second, it puts us in the offices of a working newspaper as gifted cinematographer Gordon Willis (A.S.C.) keeps the camera in motion guiding us through mazes of cubicles and desks. "All the President's Men" was made at the end of what is called "The Golden Age of Cinema," and is certainly deserving of a spot on any list of the great films.