Nothing But the Truth

Objective Rating (How much merit I think it deserves):
6.5/10
Subjective Rating (How much I personally like it):
5.5/10



Political thrillers are often accused of having an agenda. Especially political thrillers that are based on true events. Well, you can't blame the filmmakers for taking sides because... that's what movies do. They take sides. They try and succeed or fail to make you take their side.

I can't say I liked this political thriller TOO much. "Nothing But the Truth" is kind of dense, not in the number of plot twists but the pacing. I appreciate the effort it is making to pass on a message, but I'm just not in love with it.

This film is very loosely based on the events surrounding Plamegate, in which former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame's covert CIA operative status was revealed in retribution to Wilson's article accusing the Bush administration for falsifying intelligence and misleading the public.

The premise is simple... enought. Covert CIA operative and former ambassador's wife Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga, who seems to take on more of these gritty roles after "The Departed") went to Venezuela to investigate the Venezuelan government's possible involvement in a recent attempt to assassinate the US president. She came back and reported she believed Venezuela had nothing to do with it, but the president went ahead and bombed Venezuela anyway. Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) is a newspaper reporter who writes an article exposing Van Doren's CIA identity and the whole deal with Venezuela. Since her source leaked classified information concerning national security, a grand jury is formed and a special federal prosecutor (Matt Dillon) demands that she gives up her souce. When she refuses, she is thrown in jail until she gives up the source's identity so the source can be prosecuted.


----------------------Spoilers-------------------------


Armstrong still refuses to give up her source, so her stay in jail is lengthened. Her marriage falls apart, as her husband thinks she's putting her principles ahead of her family and starts to cheat on her. Her little boy grows distant from her, since she won't let him visit her in jail. Her story has lost the public's attention. Some extreme right-wing conservatives murdered Erica Van Doren because they thought she leaked the information herself to undermine the president. Armstrong basically rots in jail and then prison after the Supreme Court debates the issue of national security vs. the First Amendment and eventually decides national security takes priority.


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The movie is actually more exciting than what I just said (d'oh) but not by much. That's the problem with it: it's not moving enough. Most of the movie Rachel Armstrong just ... rots in jail while other people argue out the "principles." The acting, overall, is pretty excellent. Alan Alda, as Armstrong's top-notch defense lawyer, is ... a mixed message. I really thought he would turn out to be evil or incompetent or something. He is always so preoccupied with what name brands he's wearing. But he sticks by Rachel to the end and comes to respect Rachel greatly. Kate Beckinsale, who's British, carries an impeccable American accent. Vera Farmiga has a fragile yet tough-as-nail quality that is really alluring. Matt Dillon, as the jerk prosecutor, is merciless and heartless with ambition.

The movie is quite dismal from beginning to end. Or... at least in the beginning it seems it could be uplifting, but it just gets more and more depressing. Basically not a single character got a clearly positive ending and certainly not the main ones. The message seems to be... don't write any articles exposing some government conspiracy because it will just ruin everyone involved while the government keeps on doing whatever it is that you are writing about.

If you are already in a bad mood, I would say leave this movie for another day.