TRUTH (2015)

A film which details the last days of CBS News anchor Dan Rather and his 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes, was based on Ms. Mapes’ memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power. The film focuses on the Killian documents controversy and how the truth of a reliable story was derailed when certain bloggers and conservative talk show hosts began to cast doubt on the verifiability of certain documents detailing President George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard’s record of service. The essence of the story was essentially true but because the provenance of the documents was called into question, the innate truth of the reporting was called into question and ruined the news careers of Mr. Rather and Ms. Mapes. It is certainly implied in this film that the controversy was instituted by high ranking members of the Republican Party who were in the early campaign stages of reelecting President Bush in 2004. This film is notable because of an excellent script and direction by James Vanderbilt and an Oscar worth performance by Cate Blanchett, with excellent support from Robert Redford as Dan Rather (in what could well land him an Oscar Nomination and possible win as Best Supporting Actor), Topher Grace, Elizabeth Moss and Dennis Quaid.