The Post Review

The Post is the latest collaboration between the highly talented duo of Tom Hanks & director Steven Spielberg. With Meryl Streep added to the cast, the expectations were obviously sky high.



When you think of the best actor-director duos of Hollywood, Tom Hanks – Steven Spielberg are right up there with Leonardo DiCaprio – Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro – Martin Scorsese & Johnny Depp – Tim Burton. These actors seem to give their best performances with these directors at the helm. They share a certain level of comfort, trust & understanding. It is very unlikely that films with these actor-director combos will disappoint.
The Post starts off in the year 1965, when Daniel Ellsberg accompanies US troops in war torn Vietnam. He comes a pile of highly confidential documents which can harm the presidency & make Americans lose trust in their President. Years later he photocopies all the sensitive documents & leask it to the New York Times. The New York Times decides to publish these documents & is taken to court by the Attorney General, by President Nixon’s orders. Elsewhere, Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) is finding it difficult to take over the reins of The Post from her husband, who recently committed suicide. She faces cynicism from her male dominated sexist board, who doubt her capabilities. Ben Bradlee(Tom Hanks) is the editor-in-chief, who wants to give NY Times a tough fight when it comes to reportage’. While the NY Times, is taken to court for publishing first set of sensitive documents, which the government feels can harm the national interest it is up to The Post to publish the remaining set of those documents. While her editor-in-chief strongly believes that the documents have to published for the sake of the nation, her board feels otherwise. Will the under confident female boss of The Post give the nod to a decision, which could shut down the company her father built? Or will her dominating board members prevail over her & make her toe their line? Watch the movie to find out.
Meryl Streep who won a golden globe for her role, is good. Her performance in the second half is noteworthy. Although we did not find it to be a Golden Globe winning performance.

We think her perception worked in her favor & helped her win another Golden Globe for her performance. The movie stars an ensemble cast which includes Bob Odenkirk, Matthew Rhys, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson. Bob Odenkirk is good, but this role doesn’t do justice to an actor of his calibre. It is largely a Tom Hanks movie & he doesn’t let you down. He is superb in his role as the driven editor-in-chief, who wants to make a difference. The movie will strike a chord with people across the globe, who have worked for a media or rather a news reporting organisation. The tussle between editorial & management is brilliantly picturised by director Steven Spielberg. The supporting cast does its job well. The second half is gripping & is way better than the first half of the movie. Director Steven Spielberg brilliantly captures the sexist, fascist Presidency of America in the 70’s. It will strike a chord with Americans who are reeling under the effect of President Trump’s attacks on the media.
There are no glaring flaws in the movie. Although, we did think that the first half could have been more impactful. The first half makes you wonder whether the heroes are at NY Times & not at The Post! But the second half makes up for it.
Is ‘The Post’, the best movie which is dedicated to the first amendment of the American constitution? No. Is this Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg movie as good as one of Leonardo DiCaprio – Martin Scorsese ones? Not really. Should you go watch it? Hell Yeah. Although it is not the nest movie ever, one cannot deny the fact that it is a well made, entertaining movie based on true events.

Our Rating: ****/5 stars