Truth (M) 3.5 stars
Writer-director James Vanderbilt's absorbing docudrama based on Mary Mapes' memoir was mostly filmed in Sydney, which accounts for the number of Australian actors in supporting roles. But it's a decidedly American story, even if it has wider resonances.
It's set before the 2004 presidential election and is about the investigation by CBS television's 60 Minutes into allegations that then-president George W. Bush had received preferential treatment from officials of the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. Producer Mapes (Cate Blanchett) and anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) were under heavy deadline pressure and were relying on documents whose authenticity was called into question. The film does a good job of following the journalists and their colleagues – others are played by such actors as Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace – as they make calls, conduct interviews and go about their work, trying to work out what's going on, especially as things begin to unravel.
It doesn't answer every question or tie everything up neatly, but this well-made, well-acted movie does raise plenty of issues and provide much food for thought, even if the filmmakers go too easy on the fact that the journalists made poor judgments.
There are also some deleted scenes on the DVD – alas, the featurettes on the Blu-ray are not included here, nor is the commentary available on the US Blu-ray.