THE REPORT -- A Riveting Indictment of Post-9/11 Corruption

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Adam Driver and Annette Bening in THE REPORT. Photo Credit: Atsushi Nishijima.

The Report is the latest film dealing with the fallout of 9/11 and how the government used a lot of tactics to get what they wanted after the tragedy. They used the CIA and our military to achieve their goals of finding out about those who were involved with 9/11 by any means necessary, including waterboarding of prisoners captured by the CIA. The CIA detained these prisoners and interrogated them for weeks and months on end. When they were called out they tried to hide or cover up what they were doing. Committees were formed to try to expose these men for what they did. The question is, was this unpatriotic or illegal?

​Daniel Jones (Adam Driver) is a young idyllic Senate staffer who is tasked with investigating the CIA by his boss Diane Feinstein (Annette Bening). Once he discovers the shocking secrets of what the CIA is doing, he toils away at writing a 500 page report, only to be met by a backlash from the government. Jones is under extreme pressure to prove that his report is valid and important. He has been under fire for what he has found, but the government will stop at nothing to stop the report from being released.

Adam Driver in THE REPORT. Photo Credit: Atsushi Nishijima.

​The Report is one of the best films in a while that deals with the government and its secrets and political intrigue. There are so many performances from actors that should have bigger roles in other movies, but they take smaller roles in this film because this film is so important. Cyrus Clifford (Corey Stoll) reluctantly agrees to defend Jones. The New York Times Reporter (Matthew Rhys) gets wind of the cover up and starts sniffing around. Dennis McDonough (Jon Hamm) and John Brennan) Ted Levine try to defend their actions but are met with a wall by Feinstein. 

Scott Z. Burns has written and directed some other movies but one would be remiss if they didn't say that The Report might be the most important film he has been involved with to date. It is a hard hitting story about corruption and betrayal by the government. The Report is a damning document that shows what happened when the government isn't policed. Adam Driver gives the performance of his career as this man fighting for everything he believes is right. When you come after the CIA and the government, they fight back hard. The Report captures every little detail perfectly, all thanks to the great work by Burns and his cast. They take every line of dialogue to its utmost importance and it shows in this great film.

The Report is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Rating: 4.5/5