Top 7 Journalism Movies

by Helen Earnshaw | 27 January 2016

You cannot beat a great journalism movie and we have another heading out way this week in the form of Spotlight; a movie that is already critically acclaimed and is in the Oscar race.

Spotlight

Spotlight sees Tom McCarthy back in the director's chair, while Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, and Stanley Tucci make up the very impressive cast list.

The movie follows the true story of a group of Boston Globe journalists who uncovered a scandal of child molestation and cover up within the local Catholic Archdiocese. To celebrate the release of the film, we take a look at some of the best journalism movies that have graced the big screen over the years.

- All The President's Men (1976)

When it comes to journalism movies, there are few that are better than All The President's Men, which was released back in 1976; it is a movie that is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year.

The movie saw Alan J. Pakula in the director's chair and William Goldman adapted the non-fiction book by journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who investigated the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post during the seventies.

Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford teamed up and took on the roles of Bernstein and Woodward, in what remains one of the greatest films of both of these great actors' careers. The movie follows Woodward and Bernstein as the uncover the details of the Watergate scandal, which leads to the resignation of President Nixon.

While most of known all about the Watergate scandal, that does not stop All The President's Men from being a tense and exciting thriller. Hoffman and Redford are in great form and there is a terrific chemistry between the pair. There may tension between them at the start, but they soon become a great team them brings down the world's most powerful man.

All The President's Men is a great movie about the power and necessity of the freedom of the press and how those that hold powerful positions should never think that they are above the law.

The movie went on to be nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture. It would win four; Best Actor In a Supporting Role for Jason Robards, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction/Set Direction, and Best Sound.

- Good Night and Good Luck (2005)

We have been treated to quite a few journalism movies in recent years, but, for me, Good Night and Good Luck remains up there as one of the very best. Hard to believe that it is a movie that is already ten years old.

Good Night and Good Luck saw George Clooney in the director's chair for the second feature film of his career. As well as being in the director's chair, Clooney also teamed up with Grant Heslov to pen the screenplay and took on the role of Fred Friendly in the film.

The movie is set in 1953 and the early days of broadcast television journalism and David Strathairn takes on the central role of Edward R. Murrow, journalist, and host of the CBS television program See It Now.

The movie follows Murrow as he tries to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy, who has been on a crusade to root out Communist elements within the government. McCarthy accuses Murrow of being a Communist and a public feud between them develops.

Good Night and Good Luck is set mostly within the confines of the television studio, and while there is quite a claustrophobic feel to the film at times, it is an engrossing watch that will hook you from the opening frame to the closing credits.

Good Night and Good Luck was met with critical acclaim when it was released in 2005 and went on to receive six Oscar nominations; including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Sadly, it was to leave empty-handed on the night.

- Citizen Kane (1942)

Citizen Kane is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time and it was back in 1942 when the Orson Welles classic was released into cinemas here in the UK.

As well as being in the director's chair, Welles also took on the role of wealthy newspaper publisher Charles Foster Kane and was joined on the cast list by Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloane, and Ray Collins.

Following the death of a publishing tycoon, reporters try to work out the meaning of his final words. The movie goes on the explore the life of Kane and the legacy that he left behind.

The word 'masterpiece' is one that is banded around far too often, but Citizen Kane really does fall into that category. Not only does this film take us into an absorbing world of journalism and building a newspaper empire, but it is a film that is packed with rich and interesting characters. It was an innovative film at the time for its narrative structure and cinematography - it really has stood the test of time and influenced many filmmakers over the years.

Citizen Kane was an enormous critical success upon release, but it was a movie that did struggle at the box office. Over the years, it has only grown in stature and is now one of the most admired movies of all time.

The film went on to be nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director & Best Actor for Welles. It only managed to win Best Original Screenplay.

- Zodiac (2007)

Both Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal have been in a couple of journalism movies over the years, and Zodiac saw them share the screen together. Released in 2007, Zodiac saw David Fincher return to the director's chair to explore the infamous Zodiac killer and how he contacted the San Francisco Chronicle with cryptic letters about his crimes.

Downey Jr took on the role of journalist Paul Avery, who covered the Zodiac case, and Gyllenhaal plays political cartoonist Robert Graysmith, who is able to interpret the letters that the killer send to the newspaper. Together, they try to track down the killer, Downey Jr, and Gyllenhaal are joined on the cast list by Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, and Brian Cox.

The Zodiac killer is one of the most infamous in America history as he terrorised the San Francisco Bay Area in the sixties and early seventies. Zodiac is a wonderful cat and mouse movie about those who set tout to try and stop him... and the toll that it took on them.

Not only is Zodiac a great crime thriller, but it is also a movie that takes us into the newsroom to see how journalists investigate and piece together stories that they are working on. Fincher finds the perfect balance between being a crime saga and a journalism drama.

Zodiac is also a terrific character study as we see Avery and Graysmith become obsessed with getting to the truth. Downey Jr and Gyllenhaal turn in great performances and they make a wonderful crime-solving team.

For me, Zodiac was one of the best films to hit the big screen in 2007 and it should have got more box office and awards recognition than it did.

- The Insider (2000)

Al Pacino teamed up with Russell Crowe in 2000 when they starred in the thriller The Insider, which saw Michael Mann back in the director's chair.

Based on a true story, The Insider follows Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, who became a whistle-blower in the tobacco industry when he decides to appear on 60 Minutes for CBS. The screenplay was also adapted from the Vanity Fair article 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' by Marie Brenner.

From start to finish, The Insider is a riveting watch and will entertain as much as it will anger. Pacino and Crowe are just fantastic and give two of the best performances of their careers.

Crowe commands the screen in every scene that he is in and it is great to see him act opposite Pacino, who also delivers a compelling performance. The Insider is an intelligent film that leaves you asking many questions... it really is Michael Mann at his very best.

The Insider was a film that was met with critical acclaim and went on to be nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Crowe.

- Shattered Glass (2004)

Shattered Glass marked the feature film directorial debut for Billy Ray, when he took up the director's chair for the first time in 2004. As well as being in the director's chair for the film, Ray also penned the film's screenplay; which was inspired by the 1998 Vanity Fair article by H. G. Bissinger.

The movie chronicles the sharp rise of Stephen Glass' journalism career at The New Republic during the nineties. The film also follows his fall from grace when it is revealed that he had fabricated over half of his articles.

Hayden Christensen takes on the central role of Glass and was joined on the cast list by Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Melanie Lynskey, Hank Azaria, and Steve Zahn.

The rise and fall of Glass was not a story that I was familiar with when I sat down to watch this film, but Shattered Glass is a compelling tale of deceit and lying your way to success and adoration.

While there is no doubt that what Glass did was wrong, this movie explores the pressure that journalists are under to produce headline-grabbing work in what is a very competitive field. Christensen gives the best performance of his career as Glass, while Sarsgaard is also terrific as the man who had to fire him.

Sadly, the movie was not a box office success but was received well by the critics and played extensively on the festival circuit.

- Control Room (2004)

We have not only been treated to some great journalism dramas over the years, but there have also been some terrific documentaries that have focused in on the same area.

In 2004, Control Room hit the big screen and was the second feature film documentary from director Jehane Noujaim; the movie came three years after he made his debut with Startup.com.

Control Room explores the second Iraq War through the eyes of Al Jazeera and the coverage that they put out to their worldwide Arab audience. The network came under fire from the U.S. administration for showing images of American POWs and Iraqi casualties; images that American audiences never saw.

Control Room is a documentary that shines a small light on a news organisation that many of us know very little about - however, is perhaps does not give us as deep an insight into Al-Jazeera itself and many would have liked or expected.

The movie follows journalists and producers who are determined to report the war from an Iraqi point of view and there are plenty of moments that will shock and will leave you with many questions about how war should be reported by any and all news networks around the world.

I found Control Room to be an interesting documentary that looked at the Iraq War from a very different point of view; even if you don't agree with that point of view, it was refreshing to see it.