Political Investigative Drama

Rating: 6/10 (31 March 2003)

Because this is listed as one of the top 250 films of all time, I had to see it. Now I wish I hadn't.
The only people who should watch this are those who are extremely interested in this version of the details behind the Watergate scandal, the conspiracy theorists, or those who are fascinated by investigative reporting.
The film shows Woodward and Burnstein digging up the real story behind the famous break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters right around when President Nixon was to be re-elected. They uncover illegal covert operations being carried out by all levels of government. They spend the whole movie interviewing people and trying to get them to go "on the record" so they can print their story.
That's really all there is to it. The viewer doesn't find out anything about the protagonists' backgrounds or beliefs or goals or anything. There's no character development, and there's no reason for us to care whether they succeed or not. The movie begins with the break-in and ends when they publish (and have to defend) their story. Everything in between is just them taking notes while pursuing leads on the phone, or arguing with the editors. Slow. and boring.