The Post

Director Steven Spielberg’s The Post, a prequel to All the President’s Men, is arguably the most important story of the year as it points to the principle of America’s First Constitutional Amendment, stating quite forcefully that the Free Press exists to serve the governed, not the governors. 

The excellent script by Writers Liz Hannah and Josh Singer starts with an introduction to Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys), who released the Pentagon Papers that showed the lies behind the Vietnam War, and moves at fast pace thanks to Editors Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn to Post owner Kay Graham’s (Meryl Streep) heroic decision to print their contents.   

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks as Editor Ben Bradlee both give superb performances and are backed up by a brilliant cast, including Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford and Bruce Greenwood.

Though the film started out a bit clunky, I soon realized that the era was a bit clunky and Spielberg was giving an accurate feel for the times.  And that made the understanding of the dilemma faced by Kay Graham more understandable.

The Post is worthwhile viewing on all levels.  I give it a 4.6 out of 5.