The Post
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country’s first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.
Cast
Meryl Streep – Katharine Graham
Tom Hanks – Ben Bradlee
Sarah Paulson – Antoinette
Bob Odenkirk – Ben Bagdikian
Tracy Letts – Fritz Beebe
Bruce Greenwood – Robert McNamara
What Went Right
Streep and Hanks are an ideal pairing. Not the best I’ve ever seen, but in The Post they pull off two tenacious newspaper moguls superbly. Streep delivers the moments of tension using – as always – highly effective facial expressions involving long stares and steady delivery of lines. Fans of the woman won’t be disappointed, and going by the older people sitting near me she does a superb job of portraying Katharine. The second the closing credits rolled, the people near me in the auditorium burst into applause. Personally, The Post didn’t warrant a round of clapping from me – but each to his own.
A few scenes are quite powerful thanks to Streep. One such scene takes place towards the end, when Katharine has just minutes to make a life-changing decision.. and the face on Streep is just brilliant. Wide watering eyes, gaping mouth, the camera zooming in slowly. The woman performs with such dramatics that she basically confirms exactly why she has won awards in the past. She holds this scene purely by herself and whips up an air of excitement and tension combined, excellent work here.
The atmosphere which builds during the lead up to the release of top government secrets makes gripping viewing. I wasn’t exactly on the edge of my seat, but the scene where Ben and his gang plus Katharine discover more and more government documents contains a rising sense of intrigue. And when they make their decision to publish – brilliant. It all makes for a great watch.
What Went Wrong
I won’t lie; overall this movie is dull as arse and as boring as a queue at the post office. Yes its story is intriguing towards the end, but the first half of The Post lacks energy. This certainly isn’t a movie packed with action as it plays out by examining the lives of the people at newspaper publishing headquarters. And it does this in a tedious, almost documentary-style way. I was bored shitless until the final twenty minutes or so. Steer clear of this movie if you’re looking for something fuelled with adrenaline, Jesus.
Hanks doesn’t help, being the lead of most office scenes which see him either sat down talking politics or stood up – talking politics. Whilst the pair prove an effective duo I can officially confirm Streep leads the way, Hanks being quite tedious.
The Post. It’s exciting in places, but otherwise just another ‘based on a true story’ feat. It makes for a watchable 114 minutes, but don’t get over-excited as the opening credits begin. Half and half, this one.
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