A deep drive into “enhanced interrogation techniques” distinguishes what may be seen as a cross between The Post and an Oscar winning Spotlight, though hardly as cinema-friendly.
The Report comes from Scott Z. Burns noted as a scribe to Steven Soderbergh Obama in The Informant. His stories and details are divulged often in compelling and stirring fashion.
Senate aid Daniel Jones (Adam Driver, on a roll of late even besides being Kylo Ren) is the linchpin here in going down a torturous (no pun intended) realism given the fact archival footage includes former President Barack Obama, the late Senator John McCain, and former VP Dick Cheney.
Plenty of obstacles existed as displayed in much chronological shifting for the tenacious young staffer at the behest of Senator Diane Feinstein, filled will by Annette Bening. There was the GOP part of congress, the CIA, and, finally, the Obama administration as the unsettling events well-represented as purportedly occurred.
Jones’ report is a fair-minded account diligent researched that coalesces with the filmmaking and scripting strategy of Bums who utilizes hand-held lensing, crisply edited scenes to magnify the angle variety in saturated filtering of hues.
The shamefulness brewing from moral relativism for the ‘greater good’ visually might be akin to a richer parceling of an online video elucidation hardly about the legitimacy of dark, dispiriting tactics. The government agency contractor psychologists admit their knowledge of procedures that appears on the soundtrack.
Driver continues to be quite riveting in a role that can be verbose but finds a way to provide notable moxie, and Bening really embodies the long time politico with much authenticity in letting her younger co-star challenge himself often on a motivational level. The solid casting includes Jon Hamm as Obama Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. Other notable contributions come from Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Morrison, Tim Blake Nelson, Mathew Rhys and Maura Tiemey part of a larger ensemble.
Burns (with Soderbergh also in the producing reins) approaches a tricky issue with style to burn through likely not to generate the buzz that accompanied stranded Traffic nearly two decades ago. Evan with the polarizing nature that The Report entails, it clearly has Driver going in ways that discerning cineastes won’t mind keeping.