ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
With a story as big as this, a scandal that brought down a US President, did the studio really need to cast such big stars as Redford and Hoffman to play the inquisitive reporters, Woodford and Bernstein? Well yes, because we necessarily only get part of the story here since it's all from the viewpoint of The Washington Post, and it all could be a bit dull and stodgy, so to have the charisma of Redford and Hoffman on tap is no bad thing. Thankfully we're in good hands, with Alan J Pakula directing, the third in his 'paranoia trilogy', and a screenplay by William Goldman, so that a scene where all Redford is doing is frantically looking through some telephone directories is gripping as hell. Even Hoffman, an actor who can irritate with his mannerisms if he's allowed to, is focussed and convincing as the more experienced but yet more volatile of the pair. Judging by this film the worlds of journalism and of politics in the 1970s were male-dominated in t...