Director: Tom McCarthy
Year: 2015
Country: USA
Language: English
Studio: Open Road
It's been a long time -- too long, actually -- since a film solely about investigative journalism made an impact on the big screen. There have been a few in recent years that came close, but only used journalism as a platform for another type of film: State of Play, a solid political thriller, and Good Night and Good Luck, an intriguing biographical drama that deserved its accolades for how it artfully and thoughtfully captured Edward R. Murrow's captivating on-screen persona. You could make an argument for 2000's Erin Brockovich, but that film focused as much -- if not more -- on the title character than it did on the ugly truth behind what went on in Hinkley, California. But really, not since 1976's All the President's Men has a film really captured what it's like to really dig for the truth in a meaningful and enthralling way.
Spotlight attempts to change that, and it succeeds at every gripping turn. This star-studded film takes the horrific and nauseating topic of pedophilia in the Catholic Church and makes it utterly fascinating, much like Doubt managed to do in 2008 with similarly brilliant casting.
The cast -- consisting of Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, and a comeback-solidifying performance from Liev Schreiber -- is just one of the many things that make this film so successful. The direction and screenwriting efforts of Tom McCarthy are so stellar that it's hard to believe he was the brains behind the awful-in-every-way atrocity that was The Cobbler with Adam Sandler. The pacing is deliberate and perfect, with every shot and cut necessarily building toward the big payoff, which manages to still be suspenseful even though most viewers already know a good majority of the story.
Additionally, what makes this film work so well is that we know so little about the characters other than the obvious facts that they are so wrapped up in their jobs that they have little time for a personal life. Much like Law and Order, only glimpses of what goes on outside the job are ever seen, and they're only there to reinforce how important uncovering the truth was to every single person involved. It ruined Mark Ruffalo's marriage, prevented Rachel McAdams from doing anything else besides bringing her devout Catholic grandmother to church, brings Liev Schreiber from city to city with no personal attachments, and provides a backdrop for Michael Keaton's back-and-forth guilt trips over what he's oppressed for so long and what he knows needs to be uncovered.
Going over the plot is unnecessary; all the viewer needs to know is the general premise. Anything else just detracts from the experience of everything Spotlight has to offer, and subsequently delivers. You'll leave the theater, feeling exhilarated and disgusted; satisfied and repulsed; reassured and disquieted. This film does what Argo couldn't; it stretches a story that couldn't plausibly sustain an entire feature -- without needless drama -- into something that you absolutely don't want to ever end.
Acting: 95
Directing: 96
Writing: 92
Plot: 90
Casting: 100
Cinematography: 80
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Total Score: 558 out of 600 or 93%
Overall Grade: A-
Star Rating: ****+ out of possible *****
