Product: Pentagon Papers
Rating: 4.0
Good Historical Pic
This movie starts very slowly, but picks up momentum fast.It is a clear and even moving account of Daniel Ellsberg, and his transformation from a gung-ho military analyst to the foremost opponent of the Vietnam War.It does a great job in making his evolution believable.The acting is good. James Spader is robotic, but that's appropriate to Ellsberg himself. Paul Giamatti is great as his also-evolving colleague. Claire Forlani begins better than she ends; toward the end of the movie she seems to be simply going through the motions--her performance lacks fire and sincerity. The woman who plays Ellsberg's first wife, however, is sensational.Several nice touches:The quick cuts between historical footage and what is happening in the film are seamless and powerful.The scenes in Vietnam are a revelation.The take on Nixon's thugs (Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell) is astonishing.An informative, powerful film.