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.
There is a growing sub-category of Important Message Movies in Hollywood. For the most part, they consist of passionate rhetoric, they are well made, and they are laser-focused on the issue at hand, often at the expense of character development. Francois Ozon’s recent “By the Grace of God” is a great example of such a film, as is, say, Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight.” Both films take a pseudo-investigative approach (in their case, the targets are child-molesting priests), and are driven by characters defined solely by their specific purpose: to right a wrong.
Filmmaker Scott Z. Burns’ — known for being Steven Soderbergh’s “right hand” — cinematic oeuvre is crammed with such polemic. From “The Informant!” to the recent “The Laundromat,” his David vs. Goliath stories are structurally sound, entertaining as hell and… kinda soulless. Go figure: a filmography focused on the pursuit of ethics lacks soul; the irony is inescapable. Sadly, the same fate befalls his sophomore directorial outing, “The Report” — it’ll hold you riveted without digging deep under its central protagonist’s skin. What truly drives our hero in his pursuit of Truth? How are his lonely life and constant brutal work affecting him? What does he have for breakfast?
Those may seem like small details, but without them, the film becomes the equivalent of a highly compelling visual news article. Burns achieves a commendable verisimilitude, immersing us right into the dank basement where Senate staffer Daniel (Adam Driver) researches the CIA’s brutal post-9/11 interrogation techniques, with the goal of exposing them to the public in form of an 8,000-page report. His supportive boss, Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening), aids him as much as she can, slicing her way through thick rolls of red tape. We see the CIA officials, Bernadette (Maura Tierney) and Thomas (Michael C. Hall) in flashbacks, rapidly reacting to the horror of 9/11 by putting together an Enhanced Interrogation Program, which involves waterboarding, fake burials — and worse.
There’s no faulting the film’s confidence and technical skill. Although some may be put off by the fact that 95% of it takes place in claustrophobic rooms, Burns has a knack for writing searing dialogue, propelling the otherwise-stagnant narrative forward. The intermittent depictions of torture are brutal and uncompromising. As the film’s introverted, perseverant protagonist, Adam Driver finally gets to truly showcase his acting chops. His character may not be fully fleshed out, but he manages to fill in the gaps with his subtle performance: a glance that says volumes here, a gesture that reveals a quirk there. There’s a sequence that involves Daniel almost breaking down at the unfairness of it all before reigning in his emotions that’s among the more riveting this year. It’s a bravura performance that singlehandedly earns “The Report” an additional star.
Burns tells a mesmerizing story in a muscular fashion, without any embellishments or nuance to distract from its one goal: shed light on an American hero that had the guts (and the stamina) to stand up against the system. As such, it really is like a highly compelling report… you may just end up wishing for more PowerPoint slides.
In Theaters Friday, November 15th
