All the President's Men

1976 "The most devastating detective story of this century."
7.9| 2h18m| PG| en
Details

During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.

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Reviews

Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie
HeadlinesExotic Boring
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
gigi42758 Awesome film- exceptional actors, casting, everything but the final 90 seconds is completely unfulfilling!!!
Calin Chiriac "All the President's Men" (1976) follows the investigation led by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) on the Watergate scandal, running parallel with President Nixon's campaign for reelection. As the two lead characters see their investigation unfold, hardly, must I say, they get banged down by your usual, but not quite so, "newspaper" drama : missing sources, pettiness of the story, abstinence and denial by the witnesses, lack of hard evidence and, above all, threat to the survival of the Post itself.This is a gripping time piece. Almost half of the story is spent at the newspaper's offices, overshadowed by the permanent key-tapping of ardent typewriters and the constant chatter of young secretaries, which add a great sense of urgency and authenticity to a typical 1970s Washington workplace, where Woodward and Bernstein, sitting face-to-face in an odd, diagonal line that becomes a subtle symbol for a head-butting professional relationship, learn to first tolerate each other (and each other's egos) before uniting to unveil the truth. The interactions between Hoffman and Redford throughout the movie are as delightful to watch as they are crucial to making William Goldman's Academy Award-winning script reach its climax. We, as spectators, pay attention to these two very powerful actors' every word with such care and eagerness without even seeing through their banter and mistakes, breathing sighs of relief when catching a loose second and setting the alarm as the next one arrives. In the meantime, we get glimpses of written notes swinging in every direction from Woodward, mainly, creating a true journalistic feel, and enthralling conversations over the phone from both characters, desperately attempting to connect with not only the people behind the scandal, but also with the obscure situation on which they vainly light their lamps on, to a point where the phone becomes a mere extension of the hand and the absence of voice on the other end of the wire provokes an expression of total indifference. The story hides behind this progressive and discreet line of events without ever declaring "right" or "wrong", and plays with the writers' heads, leading them to frustration, unaided by the pressure of their superiors, the Metro News' supervisor Harry Rosenfeld (Jack Warden) and the Post's Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards, in a sublime performance).The remainder of the movie explores Woodward and Bernstein's (or "Woodstein", as Bradlee once cries out, interrupting the high-pitched noise of the office for more than two seconds) attempts to force the truth (or, at least, parcels of it) out of various mouths (White House bookkeepers, attorneys, lawmen, you name it) and shows with true excitement the abusive paraphrasing and deduction the two men make with a less-than-minimal amount of words or simple nods from the speakers (or non-speakers). In fact, the two are so convinced of the story's credibility that they unequivocally trade sentences for common sense, really. This is where the movie falters; its will and urgency to depict these moments rapidly makes them seem trivial and forgettable. For instance, an "informant" of Woodward's ("Deep Throat", as they call him) only agrees to meet with him in a dark, underground parking, but the movie never truly gives his character the proper gravitas and importance that his name really bears, historically speaking.Nevertheless, "All the President's Men" is the prototype of a solid and honest depiction of a historical event or, in this case, a more or less extended period of time marked by historical events. Alan J. Pakula's camera is turning around America's capital with remarkable ease, giving us the feeling that we have already been there, with Woodward and Bernstein, and capturing the charm of residential homes, the cacophony of midnight streets and the peacefulness of everyday places, such as libraries and diners. As already mentioned, the dynamics of the characters and of their relationships elevate the movie way above average, but the thoroughness to get the story "just the right way" makes it even greater. At some points during the movie, we are projected with real-time speeches from Nixon and his entourage or with journalistic coverage from 1972 and 1973 on a small television set in the office, further down the road from Woodward's small cabinet. As we exchange glances from the coverage on TV to Woodward's continuous typing, we take a step back and contemplate the successful effort of converting the broadcasted story into a much more intimate one.
oOoBarracuda Alan J. Pakula directed, in 1976, a film with such rich source material as the nation's first ever president to resign, Richard Nixon. All the President's Men, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, as the two reporters for The Washington Post that uncovered the details of the Watergate break-in that spanned all the way to the White House involving the president. Reminding the audience of a time in which the printed word reigned supreme and reporters were also detectives, capable of uncovering anything, All the President's Men was a brilliantly written film, incredibly deserving of taking home Oscar's top prize for Best Original Screenplay.As the 1972 presidential election is upon the nation, there is a break-in at the Watergate. Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) begins investigating the break-in, believing there to be deeper implications behind the break-in. Inserting himself into Woodward's work on the story, fellow reporter Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) begins investigating as well. Both men are a bit on the outs with the paper, with Woodward being newer on the staff and Bernstein who rarely finishes his stories. The two are an unlikely duo for such serious work, yet begin getting answers that are impressing and surprising themselves and their colleagues. Along with the constant guidance from Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook) to "follow the money" which leads them to uncover large amounts of money being deposited into the accounts of the Watergate burglars and where that money came from exposing how high up the ladder the money trail goes. The closer they get to the truth, the more desperate the implicated parties are to squash the story, the reporter's reputations, and The Washington Post itself.I had been meaning to see All the President's Men for some time but continually avoided it due to a distaste of Dustin Hoffman's acting. I still hold out hope that I just haven't seen the right Hoffman films so I finally saw Pakula's 1976 feature. Dustin Hoffman was perfect in the seedy, underhanded role of Carl Bernstein. An added surprise was seeing Martin Balam's name rolling by on the opening credits. No matter how small his role is, he always brings great dimensions to his character. Robert Redford was also brilliantly cast as the diligent, serious reporter, Bob Woodward. In fact, Robert Redford may have been best in this role and truly missed out on any acclaim from Oscar for this role. All the President's Men, the better-acted version of the 2015 film Spotlight, has within it a recipe for a boring movie. Reporters gathering facts, typing, talking amongst themselves, and dead-ends are highlighted brilliantly against the perfect production design of the film preventing the audience from realizing the movie spans nearly two and a half hours. Alan J. Pakula also shows his directorial prowess by picking the absolute perfect place to end his film, at the inauguration of Richard Nixon's second term in office. The audience knows what's coming, we're invested in the work the reporting duo has done and are acutely aware that the seemingly perfect scene of Richard Nixon accepting office is nothing of the illusion that it seems. Closing the film with the public looking one way while the reporters are in the background of the shot, feverishly working on the story that will bring the president's misdeeds to the nation was a stroke of brilliance, sure to stay with the audience long after the film ends.
Irishchatter I was recommended from a classmate that I should watch it since I've never seen it nor heard of it before. A few days ago, i got to finally watch it. My god, Dustin Hoffman looked so different with his long boyish hair. I'm more use to him having short hair in his later years. Himself and Robert Redford were absolutely brilliant together. They really should've done more movies with each other, it would make more sense!In relation to this movie, it really opens your eyes of how Richard Nixon was such a crook. Sure every poliction you meet is a greedy crook anyway so he ain't the only one in that sense! The case really interests you as in how everything went bellyup and out of control. The real Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward didn't have an easy life in their careers. They pretty much had like a rough time to get the information that needed from Nixons people to be on the Washington Post. At the same time, they are well capable men and they knew well what to do in order to get Nixon and his crooners down. Seriously, even if its a long movie, you would enjoy watching it if you were in a politic mood!