Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA’s post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.
CIA Officer: “Papers were getting people into trouble at our place.”
Daniel Jones: “At our place, paper is how we keep track of laws.”
9/11 would have been an avoidable tragedy if government inter-agencies had better cooperation and if the Bush administration heeded the countless warnings brought forth in recorded memos. The real tragedy is how the CIA, military contractors, and our own Vice President, Dick Cheney, took advantage of the situation, raking in millions while committing a litany of war crimes. The US is still illegally in Iraq, Afghanistan, and engaged in military operations in several other countries with no viable end in sight. “The Report” is the multi-year investigation into the illegal torture program that was backed jointly by CIA and the White House, failing to result in any valuable intel.
It’s exciting to watch Adam Driver, who’s having one of the most interesting career trajectories for such a young actor. He’s appeared in blockbusters like “Star Wars” while still appearing in small indie roles with the likes of hip-weirdo Jim Jarmusch (“Paterson,” “The Dead Don’t Die”). Driver turns in a wonderfully understated performance in a true David vs Goliath situation. Yes, it’s a common theme in Hollywood productions of one man against the unbeatable system, but the writing and actors are never reduced to preachy soliloquies or showboating. I think Driver will be a front-runner for this upcoming awards season. In “The Report,” he plays Daniel Jones, a senate staffer for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) who’s tasked with reading through thousands of classified memos revolving around an “enhanced interrogation technique.” Two unethical psychologists, Bill Mitchell (Douglas Hodge) and Mitchell Jensen (T. Ryder Smith) developed the ineffective technique while gifting the American taxpayers out of a hefty $81 million. The inexperienced and dangerous pair approached the CIA who were looking for anything to foil another potential attack on American soil and thus were willing to subvert international laws like the Geneva Convention. As one senior agent states, “We need to stop attacks in the future. And we are in whatever business it takes to get the job done.”
Scott Z. Burns is one of my favorite writers and he proves to be quite capable behind the camera for his directorial debut. He’s made a few films with Steven Soderbergh, some of which are rooted in history and the search for truth. Burns is shooting and writing in the vein of the paranoid ’70s political thrillers while also harboring a tone similar to modern intelligent thrillers like “Michael Clayton.” The screenplay seamlessly takes place over two time periods, revealing the genesis of the nefarious program during the early 2000s and the ensuing investigation lasting until the early 2010s. There aren’t any action scenes only the horrific depiction of torture and the dialogue is where the action lies with riveting insight and events magnificently dramatized. The movie isn’t sensationally hopeless or angry, there are quite a few perfectly timed quips and some comic relief which keeps the mood balanced.
Annette Bening is spot-on as the problematic Senator Feinstein who’s more worried about her re-election and wrongfully thinks Edward Snowden is a traitor. Ultimately, she uses her stature on the Senate Judiciary Committee for a greater purpose, getting to the bottom of what happened at the illegal black sites. The rest of the all-star ensemble is perfect, to name a few: Corey Stoll, Michael C. Hall, Tim Blake Nelson, and Maura Tierney. There are quite a few antagonists on display but the most venomous is Ted Levine as Director of CIA John Brennan. Brennan, with the White House’s approval, was willing to do anything to prevent the investigative report from being made public.
I was dumbstruck by the absurdity that justified the program. For example, as long as the results of said illegal torture yielded actionable intelligence then the act itself was actually legal. The torture scenes are tough and rightfully frustrating to watch. The cruel and inhumane methods only psychologically scarred prisoners and didn’t make American lives any safer. Burns spares no details going over nightmarish methods: forced beatings, loud music for sleep deprivation, mock burials, and trapping men in confined boxes with cockroaches. Truly a horror show that seems far-fetched yet this what happened to at least 115 people. Some might have been Al Qaeda affiliated but they didn’t get anything useful and if they weren’t enemies before, they certainly are now.
In the end, no one involved with creating or carrying out the torture program went to prison, rather, most people involved with the program were promoted (Gina Haspel was involved and is now Director of the CIA). Yes, the US government stopped rendition and torture but as significantly mentioned in the film, the unfettered drone strike program is killing more civilians and usually is unknown if anyone killed is actually an enemy combatant. We are living in a post-truth society where people take their personal beliefs and prejudices with more credence over objectively proven facts. Interestingly, there’s been compelling statements from some journalists linking the dehumanization of Muslims in the post-9/11 media to the election of Donald Trump. To roughly paraphrase Feinstein in the film, “this wouldn’t keep happening if we held people accountable in the first place.” I couldn’t agree more.
“The Report” recently screened at the 2019 Philadelphia Film Festival
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