Product: Pentagon Papers
Rating: 5.0
Intelligent, thought-provoking drama
Despite excellent supporting performances, this movie is really a one-man show: it's all about Spader's smart, emotional performance as Daniel Ellsberg.Very little of the movie happens in the Watergate time-frame from which we know Ellberg's name. Most instead covers the ten years (roughly 1963-1973) during which he reached the point of thinking the most patriotic act he could take was to release top-secret Department of Defense material about the Vietnam war. It's an engrossing exploration of the great questions: what is duty? to whom do we owe loyalty?Nothing explodes, except during a few striking, necessary scenes in Vietnam. Thanks be for intelligent film-making.