All the President's Men (1976)

That was an excellent one.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Alan Pakula was a director with a limited range. He had his hits--Klute, Sophie's Choice and this film--but he also had misses like Rollover and Comes a Horseman owing to lack of empathy with these genres. Give him a thriller with lots of menace and he is in his element as he is here.The acting is really fine. Everyone remembers Jason Robards and Jack Warden as the newspapermen, but Jane Alexander as the nervous CREEP employee is excellent, as is Stephen Collins as Sloan, a minor figure but touching in his desire not to get trapped in wrongdoing. Lindsey Crouse has a small part as a young reporter with scruples.I watch this at least once a year, but this being the year of Trump, I know I'm going to be watching much more. There is no chance of newspapers bringing down a president--we are beyond that period of history--but it is comforting to remember when they could.

The work of Redford and Hoffmann is impeccable here as are the supporting players. This, of course, is the story of the Washington Post investigation of the Watergate conspirators under the Nixon administration, specifically that of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein . It shows what happens when tips come in and the close scrutiny and support for sources that skilled journalists must adhere to. Because it was recent history, the players needed to be presented in a truly realistic way. We are introduced to Ben Bradlee, played by the wonderful Jason Robards, and all the principles involved. Hal Holbrook is the notorious "Deepthroat." There is a frantic pace to this as deadlines need to be met and the realities of the risks taken by the Post. Read a couple books on Watergate and then watch this. It is a gem.

"All the Presidents Men" isn't about the water-gate scandal but the incredible journalism required to uncover it, and the overwhelming repression of the facts that Nixon achieved by abusing his power.We meet Woodward and Bernstein who seem to compliment each other so well that their boss not only assigns them to uncover water-gate together, but he nicknames them Woodstein. Bernstein has been in the business since he was 16, so he has more experience with writing than Woodward, who got to the Washington Post 9 months before the beginning of water-gate. However, Bernstein is light on facts, and he's desperate for a story so he infers more than he uses factual evidence. Woodward, on the other hand, is an honest man that has a drive to uncover the truth that is unmatched by Bernstein. They compliment each other perfectly.The film gets a bit confusing plot-wise towards the end, but what it succeeds at is making the viewer feel how Woodstein felt, and revealing the extent to which Nixon went to cover up details, as well as the sheer scale of the scandal. The way in which the film slowly unravels the scandal until Woodward realizes he and no one else is safe is perfect. The film is surprisingly comedic at many moments, such as the long shot of how Bernstein got into a certain meeting, as well as (of course) many very tense moments, including one long take that slowly, almost imperceptibly zooms in on Woodward while people gather in the background, showing Woodward's focus, as well as ours. This scene is particularly involving and exciting, despite just being a man talking on the phone, because of this reason. Anot her one is a scene in which they are trying to confirm who "P" is. The set up is crucial for that one. The film is chock full of these moments, they allows us feel the tension and paranoia that they did, the latter being most notable in Woodward's multiple meetings with "Deep Throat", which take place in an empty, dimly lit garage in which we never get a clear shot of Deep Throat's face, making him mysterious, and in one scene, scary. It's an incredibly involving movie, and it's final shot reflects it's message perfectly: two TVs playing Nixon being elected in front of and behind Woodward and Bernstein, who face each other, writing in between the two TVs. Nixon is on the outside, smiling as many people cheer around him. But at the core of this image are two people, Woodward and Bernstein, uncovering the scandal from the inside with nothing but typewriters.

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!