THE REPORT: Tells The Truth Of 9/11, Warts And All
History always feels so massive. It feels like something that is only changed by large movements or the collaboration of very powerful people. If The Report is to be believed, it appears that history is made by small teams in basements and through whispered conversations behind closed doors.
In The Report, an idealistic if not naïve Senate staffer is tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA’s post-September 11th Detention and Interrogation program. What he uncovers is shocking and challenges the very values our country is built upon. What follows is a classic political chess game. The stakes? The reputation of the United States.
Scott Z. Burns (writer of Contagion and The Informant) is at the helm as director and writer, where his experience in political and global drama lends itself to a confident stride. Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and Jon Hamm are perfectly at odds as political power players and bring a sort of subtle star power to The Report. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and has enjoyed warm receptions at the Austin Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival and other festivals.
The “9/11” Film and Its Counterweight
Following the September 11th tragedy, Hollywood has predictably used the American conflict with the Middle East as a foundation of action-packed cinema. In many ways, 9/11 inspired military action cinema has become the Western of the new era. It follows the same formula of valiant, but rugged heroes fighting an indisputable and savage evil.
Films like American Sniper, 13 Hours, and 12 Strong place the focus on real-life heroes and historical events that are just recent enough to still hit close. Other films, like Zero Dark Thirty which we will discuss in particular detail later, dramatize the event and create heroes and villains that exist outside of fact. As with the Western, only time will tell how long the 9/11 film remains in good favor, as the genre is already guilty of prejudicial portrayals of certain events.
In many ways, The Report is the “anti-9/11” film. The film still solemnly addresses the tragedy and, at its core, the film is incredibly patriotic, but it removes all of the flash and sensationalism. The Report does not have heart-stopping action, it has scene after scene of arguing and intense typing. The Report does not clearly define good and evil if anything it is a monument to grave human error. The Report seeks to tell the truth, warts and all, and as a film embodies the very spirit of its subject.
As it happens, Zero Dark Thirty is mentioned in the film. In the context of the plot Zero Dark Thirty is shown as glorifying the torture practices and institutions that are being questioned in the report. This is a great little nod as, at the time of its release, Zero Dark Thirty was viewed as simultaneously anti-torture and pro-torture. The film took the form of whatever agenda was projected onto it, much as the usefulness of torture is as it is shown in the events of The Report.
Meticulously Crafted For the Contemporary
Perhaps we’re entering a time of the anti-establishment. It seems that 2019 is being defined by cinema as the year that we gave the finger to our biggest institutions. Class warfare, racial conflict, and political criticisms in both fact and fiction.
The Report has a timeliness to it that gives it extra heft. For some reason that pursuit of truth and the ability to stand up to the powers that be carries great appeal and it makes the film feel like it delivers an urgent message. Political dramas and historical retellings have always been popular, with The Report it feels vital.
A huge part of the film’s success rides on the damn near perfect cast. Adam Driver holds the Hollywood crown for Mr. Sincere and it lends itself perfectly to his portrayal of the idealistic, straight-laced Daniel Jones. The character is almost too good for his own good and part of his charm is that he won’t bend the rules, even when he desperately needs to. Driver is the poster child for this sort of nuance and it’s a good fit.
Bening and Hamm are both reminiscent of the shellacked facades of unshakeable political players. You never know what’s going on behind all that polish. For Jon Hamm, this makes his character an ideal representation of “The System.” Really, he’s just too damn good looking. For Bening that façade makes her performance feel even deeper when the cracks begin to show. From top to bottom, a stellar cast.
The Report is deserving of every ounce of praise it receives on its performances, accuracy, and commentary, but none of that changes that this is a long film about an even longer report and the writing of it. Getting through the film is a bit of a slog, as well. Or perhaps not. The film is tedious, but never feels that it’s resting in the unnecessary.
Instead, the film is simply… weighty. It’s burdened by the weight of its own subject matter and it carries that load with a grimace of resolve. The viewer leaves the film understanding that weight and, all other praise aside, is exactly what a film like The Report should set out to do. Well done.
Are you a fan of “9/11” movies? What are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
Catch The Report in theaters on November 15, 2019, and on Amazon Prime streaming beginning November 29.
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