With a star-studded cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and veteran actor Paul Guilfoyle of CSI fame, Spotlight is a movie is screaming to be watched, more so with its controversial subject matter.
Set at the turn of the century, Liev Schreiber’s Marty Baron just takes over as Chief Editor at The Boston Globe and quickly sees that there is more to a story about a series of child abuse cases by a priest in the Catholic Church Boston Archdioceses. He tasks Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson (played by Michael Keaton) to lead his Spotlight team to delve deeper into the cases and see where it leads them. The team face a formidable task to get to the bottom of things when the Church, led by Cardinal Bernard Law, uses the law and their connections to suppress details of these child abuses cases. The movie focuses on the process in which the team is able to break down these obstacles and expose the scandals.
The movie succeeds in telling the stories about the victims from the eyes of the reporters. Even the reporters themselves face incredulity when facts slowly emerge that there’s more than meets the eye. One can immediately sense the fear, the betrayal and the inner turmoil trying to do the right thing despite the threats and facing questions about one’s loyalty to the Church and the City they live in.
Overall, the pacing of the movie is good. The actors are very credible and not over the top in their acting. In terms of cinematography, the aesthetic was kept clean and easy to follow so one can fully focus on the story. If the movie has made you angry and felt betrayed, then it has done its job, and for me has done it well. It is of little wonder that this is one of the best movies in the past year. That being said, it would be helpful to read a little bit about the case before hitting the screens.
There are other things to think about too – that of the role of responsible journalism. When journalism is guided by a higher standard other than maintaining the balance sheet and questionable agenda, or toeing the line set by the government, the newspaper can do a lot of good and in this case, the actual team won the Pulitzer Prize.
For those who are into legal and detective drama such as Law and Order and Blue Bloods will be nailed to the screen throughout the whole movie. There are a lot of truths being told in this movie and the key truth is about doing what’s right at whatever the cost even when facing legal and financial ruin. The movie reminds me of another classic investigative drama “All the President’s Men” by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman and both movies are immensely entertaining and riveting. This movie is definitely well worth the ticket price.
Watch the trailer here:
