It is a testament to all concerned that a movie in which you already know the outcome still stands tall after more than four decades, as well as remaining one of the definitive political-minded thrillers and true stories of all time.
Adapted by legendary screenwriter William Goldman from the book of the same name by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (Goldman talks about it more in depth in his excellent volume, ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE, in which he also coined the phrase ‘NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING’. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is the account of how Woodward and Bernstein shook the very political foundations of America to expose the scandal involving the break-in in 1972 of the Democratic Headquarters at Watergate.
Starting with the events of the night, the story shifts to the courtroom where the burglars are on trial, where Woodward (Robert Redford) questions a lawyer which he can’t quite be convinced isn’t there to assist them as counsel.
The story develops, prompting much interest from Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) who starts polishing Woodward’s stories and the two are put on the case. Woodward meets a mysterious figure in car parks, Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook) who provides him with tasters for where the story is going. Before long, however, there is greater interest and denial from all fronts, with the two reporters given more hassle as well as headway.
Jason Robards won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Post Editor Ben Bradlee (recently played by Tom Hanks in the recent film THE POST, alongside Meryl Streep and directed by Steven Spielberg) and both are worth watching as companion pieces.
Atmospheric and with uneasy moments throughout, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is one of the best of its’ kind.