All the President's Men

All the President's Men (1976)
Director: Alan Pakula
Cast: Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Robards, Jack Warden, Hal Holbrook, Jane Alexander, Stephen Collins
Memorable Line: "Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country."


Who would think that a movie about series of newspaper articles would make such a compelling film? But these were articles were the catalyst that toppled a president. Still the movie is information dense, but William Goldman's script does a fine job of deciphering all the details and bringing to the screen a compelling and tense story.

We follow two virtually unknown reporters (at the time), Carl Bernstein (Hoffman) and Bob Woodward (Redford), as they start with the coverage of a simple burglary and follow the trail into dark alleys and dead-ends until the path finally leads to revelations that no one could have ever suspected. It's like following a serpentine path through a labyrinth of details, but Pakula finds the tension in the pivotal scenes. The film is filled with paranoia, doubt, and courage as the paper and their reporter must decide to go up against the establishment that is powerful and threatening.

Redford and Hoffman are completely convincing in their roles and the film is filled with stand-out supporting cast members. Robards won an academy award for his role as Ben Bradlee the editor of the Washington Post. Jane Alexander and Stephen Collins give a compelling performances as people who got caught up in the wake of the cover-up and must choose between hiding or coming forward.

Pakula shows courage, also, in letting scenes find their own tension. What could have been tedious, suddenly bristles with threat. The final shot of the movie is a nearly 90 second static shot, but is completely captivating.

If you want to get a glimpse into the historic moments that that brought down a presidents, then this movie is for you.