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The Pentagon Papers (2003)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
2/20
2/20:
Don't pay attention to the made-for-TV feel of The Pentagon Papers because it's one
of the best historical dramas made.
Daniel Ellsberg used to work for the RAND Corporation, being knee-deep in the Vietnam War both behind the scenes and at
the front lines. At first, he supported it and thought the war was justifiable and winnable if certain strategies were
followed but totally changed his mind when he came across a top-secret 7,000-page copy in 48 boxes of
Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force aka The Pentagon Papers that exposed the truth.
He xeroxed three sets of every page, released them to the public, and was tried for treason only to be acquitted
of all charges because of what was going on during the Watergate scandal.
The dialogue is quite dense but appropriate to convey the feel and language of the period. So, kudos to Jason Horwitch for the
screenplay. Initially, I had a tough time to keep up, but it became easier as film went on. As for the acting, it's exemplary.
Alan Arkin, Claire Forlani, and Paul Giamatti have done a nice job.
Robotic and unfeeling, James Spader gives a top two performance of his career with the other being
Sex, Lies, and Videotape. As Daniel Ellsberg, he has moments of silence while
wrestling with himself over questions of morality and legality. It's a powerful scene when a young man named Randy Kehler spoke
in front of the class during the War Resisters League conference at Haverford College, giving Ellsberg the motivation to cross
the Rubicon.
The point is that people were being killed left and right for the wrong reasons during the war. No U.S. President wanted
to admit failure, only using Vietnam as a short-term political gain, and preferred to pass the buck to his successor.
While that was happening, the public didn't know about it, and the media should be blamed for failing to report the
facts. Does this sounds familiar today, huh?
All in all, thanks to The Pentagon Papers, I'm interested in reading the book one day.