At first glance, "The Report" seems to be like a belated companion piece to films like "Rendition" (#0673) and "Fair Game" (#0832), until you realize that the investigation into the questionable behaviour of US intelligence agents and their contractors in regard to the identification, detainment and interrogation of terror suspects didn't come out until years after those movies, in December of 2014. As even that short-form (still over 500 pages) report has only been published in a severly redacted form, screenwriter Scott Z. Burns based his movie not only on that report, but also on a Vanity Fair article from 2007 called "Rorschach and Awe" which gave a detailed account of how the US started to use those "enhanced" interrogation techniques - a very cynical euphemism for touture. After completing the script, Burns tried to get the film made, but found it very difficult to obtain funding, as political movies about the war on terror never did well at the box office. Even with star Adam Driver, the funding got cut the measly sum of eight million dollars. Quite a few of Hollywood's name actors and actresses have apparently worked for close to minimum wage to get the film made, which Burns directed himself.
Here's the trailer:
How did you like "The Report"? what did you think of the actors, first and foremost Adam Driver as the relentless investigator, but also Maury Tierney, Michael C. Hall, Tim Blake Nelson and Jennifer Morrison as CIA employees, Jon Hamm as Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough, and of course Annette Benning as Senator Dianne Feinstein (who is still in office, by the way)? Tell us your thoughts about the film as a reply to this post - but don't jeopardize national security.
