Nothing But the Truth – DVD Review

By Frankie Dees May 7, 2009, 13:33 GMT

Inspired by true events. Kate Beckinsale and Academy Award® nominee Matt Dillon (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Crash, 2004) lead an all-star cast in this explosive story about a Washington, D.C. reporter who faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to out her source. The all-star cast includes Academy Award® nominees Alan Alda (Best Performance by an Actor in a ...more

Writer-director Rob Lurie fashions a fine parable of our times with this highly selective mirror on the Judith Miller case, a New York Times journalist who did time for not revealing her source that ousted CIA operative Valerie Plame. Inexplicably dropped in only two theaters, this well-told and acted tale deserves a second chance at home. 

When comparing the narrative to the real case of Judith Miller, the major beats are much the same and if you replace Iraq with Venezuela and nonexistent WMDs with an attempted presidential assassination then you’ll have a fairly solid idea of the story Lurie is trying to tell. 

For those that don’t remember, Judith Miller’s 2003 New York Times article resulted in Valerie Plame’s cover being blown which kicked off an uproar that the Bush Administration had something to do with it as Plame’s husband was a US ambassador who refuted the government’s claims that Saddam Hussein was hoarding WMDs. The government, none too happy about the negative press, brought the hammer down on the article’s author that started it all. 

The film starts off with the assassination attempt and the government quickly placing blame on Venezuela. Before you can say South America, the government sends in the bombs.

Reporter Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) learns from some mysterious sources that Venezuela wasn’t behind the assassination attempt, however, and publishes an article detailing such why also outing CIA operative Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga).

Setting off a media s-storm, the government sends in Federal Prosecutor Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon) to get Rachel to reveal her source. Refusing to do so, she’s found in contempt of court and sent to jail until she decides to reveal her source.

On her side are the paper’s editor and legal counsel (Angel Bassett and Noah Wyle) who bring in famous defense attorney Alan Burnside (Alan Alda) to try and soften the government’s legal blows. 

Complicating matters is that Rachel Armstrong and Erica Van Doren’s kids go to the same school, making the proceedings disturbingly close to home. As Rachel continues to refuse, her months in jail tick by, and despite Burnside eloquently preaching why Armstrong’s case should be dropped at a Supreme Court Hearing, the government channeled through remorseless Dubois doesn’t budge. 

This eventually takes a heavy toll on Rachel and her family (a miscast David Schwimmer plays her husband) and the price for her article is, indeed, a steep one and not just for her and her family but for Van Doren and her family also - particularly for Van Doren and her family.

The film might be a bit didactic but Lurie’s script does a good job presenting some truths and not getting weighed down in liberal flag-waving. It paints Armstrong as the protagonist but is clearly keeping some grey area with a lot of credit going to Beckinsale for her bullish performance. At turns sympathetic, overzealous, strong-willed and beat-down, Beckinsale runs the emotional gamut here and never lets a false note show. 

Supporting work is equally strong with Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle, Matt Dillon and Alan Alda all giving some considerable depth to smallish roles that could have easily been thankless.

Only David Schwimmer seems out of place and I won’t pretend that his 10-year tenure as Ross doesn’t have something to do with it but the husband character does get saddled with some underwritten actions so it’s not all Schwimmer’s fault. 

The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Special Features include an audio commentary from writer-director Rob Lurie and producer Marc Frydman. Lurie who started out as an entertainment reporter and film critic has much to say about the making of the film and makes a fun listen. 10 minutes of ‘Deleted Scenes’ are included as well as a half-hour ‘The Truth Hurts: The Making of Nothing but the Truth’. 

Undeservedly shuffled in and out of a few theaters (IMDB lists a $3.075 total theatrical gross), this is a pic that you should catch up on if you like political thrillers.

It might have had more bite had Lurie decided to completely embrace the political aspects of the story rather than the journalistic (and for that matter, drop the façade and take on Judith Miller’s case head-on) aspects but a sharp script and a great collection of actors make this an easy recommend. 

Nothing But the Truth is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.