Unflinching, Uncompromised, Unbelievable

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2016)

It is beyond cliché at this point to say this film is the 'All the President's Men' of this generation, but that is because the comparison is so readily apparent. If you're learned in any way about cinema, it's the first thing that pops into your head. I noticed in five minutes into the film, and I was continually reminded of that throughout its 130 minute runtime.
While they're not so similar as to make Spotlight a ripoff, I could see these films being part of the same series. Wouldn't that be a strange series- a set of similar films of excellence in investigative journalism. I'd be all for that, but in the current Hollywood climate, the possibility of that happening hovers around zero.
No matter what you think about this film's relationship to ATPM, it is certainly not a ripoff in terms of quality. It won Best Picture at the Oscars, and while I would not call it the best film of 2015 under any circumstances, it is a stellar piece of old-school filmmaking.
I find it quite humorous that both what this film is about- high-quality print journalism - and what it is- a mid-budget grounded drama driven by its story and cast instead of special effects- are in the same boat; they are gradually fading away but are capable of producing great work.
However, that same sense of obsolescence is why this film is not getting a perfect score from me. All the President's Men seemed titanic. It starred two of the biggest names in the world and was cutting-edge for its time. This film, with minor alterations, could pass for a film from 1975. It doesn't want to accept full-on modern filmmaking, which would be all right if everything from then hadn't shrank since then, thus making this film seem less important than it otherwise would be. Journalism and these types of movies are two things that don't matter as much as they once did, and this film acting otherwise without providing any additions to the formula stops it from being truly great. It is drawing from a well that isn't as deep as it once was.
Even the subject matter reflects its lack of grandiosity compared to its spiritual predecessor. While I ardently refuse to take anything away from this very important story that affected many lives, it is no Watergate. There is only one Watergate. ATPM was lightning in a bottle in that regard. How we get our information has also changed over the last four decades. While everyone knew about Watergate, they didn't know the nitty-gritty, the details of the story. Now, with the internet, any random Joe could find out everything he needs to know about the Catholic Church abuse scandal in minutes.
But that's enough points against this film. It really is one of the most insightful, hardhitting, entertaining films of the last six years. I would put it up with and maybe even above Michael Mann's The Insider, another film that is often compared with ATPM. A killer cast, led by Michael Keaton (leading his second Best Picture-winning film in two years), Edward Norton (putting in the best work of his career), and Rachel McAdams (same deal), engage you in this narrative, and the Academy Award-winning screenplay chipped in a great assist. The few modern touches of the film do help it out, making it feel old-fashioned in a good way instead of old-fashioned in a bad way. Though not unprecedented, this film is sharp and unflinching, a true instant classic.
By: Joshua Fagan