By Ben Davis
The Report stars Adam Driver, is directed by Scott Z. Burns, and follows FBI agent Daniel Jones as he performs the daunting and difficult task of investigating the CIA’s use of torture on suspected terrorists in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. My general thoughts on The Report are pretty simple: it’s a very well made political thriller that, minus a few setbacks, manages to be a thought provoking, informative, and engaging film.
The positives of The Report are how good of a job it does outlining the issues at hand without dumbing down the information the audience is being given. It’s challenging, but not once did I feel bogged down by political jargon being discussed throughout the film. The Report also does a great job of showing just how shady and underhanded politics can be at times. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s very enlightening nonetheless. The performances across the board are fantastic, bolstering a cast with the likes of Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Tim Blake Nelson, Corey Stoll, Jennifer Morrison, and Maura Tierney. The standout, though, is Adam Driver. This guy just doesn’t turn in bad performances. Adam Driver continues to prove he is a Hollywood elite level talent and makes a case for the best working actor today. While his character isn’t necessarily the deepest character we’ve seen him play, Adam Driver is still able to pull out a very subtle yet incredibly profound performance. While the role of Daniel Jones won’t be getting him the Oscar this year, it serves as a good companion piece to his next big movie, Marriage Story, that he’s getting a lot of awards buzz for. It’s going to be fun to see Adam Driver and Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) duke it out for Best Actor this year.
The Report, however, isn’t perfect. The film doesn’t give us enough time in the lead characters day-to-day life. We never really get a sense of the weight that Daniel Jones must feel in the years it took to put this report together. Sure certain other characters bring up the toll it’s taking on his personal life, but we never see it. Adam Driver, being the great actor that he is, does what he can, but it’s never enough to get over the hump unfortunately. There are also some interesting choices this film makes in regards to time jumps. While this gripe is small, it’s worth mentioning that sometimes this could be a bit jarring because of how abrupt it was.
Overall, while The Report can sometimes feel a bit hallow due to the lack of attachment to any particular character, it’s still a very tight knit and very well done political thriller that’ll leave you feeling angry and saddened, yet hopeful that there are people out there fighting for the truth.