A miscalculated piece damaged by poor direction, mediocre writing and performances that feel consistently misguided and off-key.
Nothing But the Truth (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:39
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: A well-crafted political thriller, Nothing But the Truth features a strong cast that helps the real-life drama make an effortless transition to the big screen.
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Inspired by real-life political events, director Rod Lurie (THE CONTENDER) once again delves into issues of power and gender with NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, an engaging thriller about the right to a... Inspired by real-life political events, director Rod Lurie (THE CONTENDER) once again delves into issues of power and gender with NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, an engaging thriller about the right to a free press and the price of principles. As the film opens, the president of the United States has survived an assassination attempt. Believing that the leader of Venezuela was behind the plot, the U.S. launches a military attack against the country. In Washington, D.C., reporter Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) has revealed that Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga), the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, is a C.I.A. operative who found no proof of a plot. Armstrong quickly finds herself contending with both Van Doren and special prosecutor Patton DuBois (Matt Dillon), hellbent on discovering Armstrong's source. When she refuses to reveal her source, Armstrong is jailed for contempt of court. In the troubled year that follows both women will confront the harsh realities of life during wartime, including the questioning of their patriotism and even threats to their lives. As a Supreme Court hearing draws near, and with her family cracking under the strain, Armstrong must decide whether her individual needs trump the importance of civil liberties. Lurie ably balances the personal struggles with the political machinations, while Beckinsale and Farmiga compellingly convey each woman's strength of conviction. The result is a challenging, chillingly relevant cautionary tale about truth and consequences. [More]
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Alan Alda
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Alan Alda, Vera Farmiga, David Schwimmer, Courtney B. Vance, Noah Wyle, Floyd Abrams, Preston Bailey
Director: Rod Lurie
Director: Rod Lurie
Screenwriter: Rod Lurie
Producer: Bob Yari, Marc Frydman, Rod Lurie
Composer: Larry Groupe
Studio: Yari Film Group
Reviews for Nothing But the Truth
With her bravura turn in Rod Lurie's engrossing political drama Nothing But The Truth, Kate Beckinsale has staked a strong claim for her first Academy Award nomination.
It’s Kate Beckinsale who is fantastic and she is able to hold the strong premise long enough to keep my interest in a politically-charged thriller.
Nothing But The Truth operates a lot like Billy Ray's Shattered Glass and Breach, offering up the sort of no-nonsense, meat-and-potatoes docudrama that's in short supply these days.
Though Nothing But The Truth is fundamentally an independent undertaking, it boasts a star cast including Kate Beckinsale, Angela Basset, Matt Dillon and Alan Alda among others who provide the kind of performances for which the majors pay big bucks.
Most importantly, the film takes the issue beyond just journalistic integrity and the government's intrusion. It looks at real life.
A finely-crafted film of people and ideas, of the sort more common before the movie mainstream became a sausage factory.
All this plays out in brisk fashion, and the actors, who also include Alan Alda as Rachel's venerable lawyer, mostly seem to be having a high old time.
Nothing But the Truth is flat and unexceptional, the bureaucratic, talky parts of a political thriller without the action sequences as payoff.
You can overlook an occasional soapbox moment or clunky speech when it's contained in a thoughtful, mature drama like this one.
Lurie balances the tragic repercussions of two women drawn into a swirling riptide of political neglect, judicial irresponsibility, and sudden violence.
I expect the cast, particularly Beckinsale, and Lurie's script to get a lot of attention in the next few months.
Should find favor with audiences eager for movies driven by characterization, ideas and the performances of actors whose screen presence offers as much justification for the existence of cinema as any camera trick, flashy montage or special effect.
A well-acted, John Grisham-style tale that will have its audience expressing gratitude for the First Amendment--never mind how battered it has gotten.
Writer-director Lurie makes dramas that whole-headedly engage ethical quandaries yet dodge easy judgments.
Alda's performance is a real stand-out, but all the actors are in fine form, to include Angela Basset, Noah Wyle and David Schwimmer.
Nothing But the Truth has been made with brains, pace, and skill, and with a topical fury that puts it ahead of the curve on its real subject: the withering of freedom in a democracy gone apathetic.
Rod Lurie's crisp take on the Valerie Plame case-with Vera Farmiga standing in for Plame and Kate Beckinsale for Judith Miller-is admirably bluster-free but suffers at times from movie-of-the-week syndrome.
It is a rock-solid entertainment, made by adults, starring adults, and intended for adults
Latest News for Nothing But the Truth
May 01, 2009:
Rod Lurie Tells Nothing But the Truth ![]()
With two movies headed to theaters last fall, it looked like 2008 was going to be a banner year for Rod Lurie -- but everything can change in the blink of a studio bankruptcy,... More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
December 19, 2008:
Five Favorite Films with Director Rod Lurie
Nothing But the Truth director Rod Lurie (The Contender) took a circuitous route to Hollywood -- he was an army officer and an entertainment reporter before perching himself in... More...
December 09, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
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