The Frame

This has been on my to-see list for so long that I almost through I had seen it. But now I actually have. The danger in putting off a film I want to see is that by the time I finally see it, my expectations get all out of proportion and I’m disappointed. That was not at all the case here – this film is brilliant. The Nixon and Watergate scandal is presented as a mystery almost, from the point of view of Woodward and Bernstein, the rookie Washington Post investigative reporters who broke the story. The film unfolds like a very good procedural, balancing the fact-finding itself with the roadblocks Woodward has to overcome at the paper because of his youth and inexperience. Robert Redford does a great job as Woodward, but ultimately, it’s Dustin Hoffman that will probably stick with you, as the older (but not particularly respected) Bernstein, who throws himself into Woodward’s story. Writing, editing and directing aren’t showy, but are exemplary of classical Hollywood invisible craftsmanship.
Superior