All the President's Men (1976) - 2/5

This is a very boring docudrama about reporters and the Watergate scandal. The pacing is impressively bad, so much so that it’s ubiquitously unclear what key persons of interest mean to the investigation at large, and the goalposts keep moving without resolution. The film seems to think it’s a thriller but has no teeth, even including one confusing jumpscare with nobody there in an empty parking garage. Presumably it may make more sense to someone know knows the subject matter very well, but that philosophy is antithetical to the fundamental concept of filmmaking.

Content warning: language

Closest comparison: It’s like Kill The Messenger by way of ‘Good Night and Good Luck’.

Setting: Journalism
Plot: Investigation
Tone: Drama

The Devil's Own (1997) - 4/5

This is a meaty, slow-burn drama that really delivers on its complex moral narrative. Where many films try to convey the complex nature of morality and only end up becoming messy themselves, The Devil’s Own very cleanly demonstrates the complexity if its point. Although there are several action scenes it’s solidly in the drama genre, with most of the runtime simmering in the subtleties of a lie in the family dynamic. It’s riveting to watch the story unfold with actors whose presence alone chews the scenery with the best of the best.

Closest comparison: It has the undercurrents and style of Patriot Games with the down-to-earth simplicity of The Irishman.

Setting: Thriller
Plot: Crime
Tone: Drama