A finely-crafted film of people and ideas, of the sort more common before the movie mainstream became a sausage factory.
Nothing But the Truth (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:14
Fresh:11
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: A well-crafted political thriller, Nothing But the Truth features a strong cast that helps the real-life drama make an effortless transition to the big screen.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual material and a scene of violence.
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Dec 19, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Inspired by real-life political events, director Rod Lurie (THE CONTENDER) once again delves into issues of power and gender with NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, an engaging thriller about the right to a... Inspired by real-life political events, director Rod Lurie (THE CONTENDER) once again delves into issues of power and gender with NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, an engaging thriller about the right to a free press and the price of principles. As the film opens, the president of the United States has survived an assassination attempt. Believing that the leader of Venezuela was behind the plot, the U.S. launches a military attack against the country. In Washington, D.C., reporter Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) has revealed that Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga), the wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, is a C.I.A. operative who found no proof of a plot. Armstrong quickly finds herself contending with both Van Doren and special prosecutor Patton DuBois (Matt Dillon), hellbent on discovering Armstrong's source. When she refuses to reveal her source, Armstrong is jailed for contempt of court. In the troubled year that follows both women will confront the harsh realities of life during wartime, including the questioning of their patriotism and even threats to their lives. As a Supreme Court hearing draws near, and with her family cracking under the strain, Armstrong must decide whether her individual needs trump the importance of civil liberties. Lurie ably balances the personal struggles with the political machinations, while Beckinsale and Farmiga compellingly convey each woman's strength of conviction. The result is a challenging, chillingly relevant cautionary tale about truth and consequences. [More]
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Alan Alda
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Alan Alda, Vera Farmiga, David Schwimmer, Courtney B. Vance, Noah Wyle, Floyd Abrams, Preston Bailey
Director: Rod Lurie
Director: Rod Lurie
Screenwriter: Rod Lurie
Producer: Bob Yari, Marc Frydman, Rod Lurie
Composer: Larry Groupe
Studio: Yari Film Group
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Release:
Apr 28, 2009
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.40
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Subtitles - English
Additional Release Material:
- Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary:
- 1. Rod Lurie - Director / Writer; Marc Frydman, Producer
Making Of:
- 1. The Truth Hurts: The Making of Nothing But The Truth
Reviews for Nothing But the Truth
Every once in a while, for reasons as random as a Hollywood executive's taste or an economic meltdown, a perfectly decent movie slips through the cracks, never receives a theatrical release and is relegated to the purgatory called straight-to-DVD.
Writer-director Lurie makes dramas that whole-headedly engage ethical quandaries yet dodge easy judgments.
It’s Kate Beckinsale who is fantastic and she is able to hold the strong premise long enough to keep my interest in a politically-charged thriller.
The last-minute switcheroo suggests, perhaps unintentionally, that Rachel is less a martyr to the cause than a schemer looking to cover her tracks.
Lurie has crafted a different kind of thriller, one with a mind and a heart.
The sexing up/dumbing down fails to compensate for the gobs of punishingly dull blah-blah about crusading reporters.
Though a final, sly revelation stacks the deck a bit, Truth makes a smart, measured case out of a real-life drama that wound up far less heroically.
Despite [it being] about a journalist at a powerful newspaper who is jailed for refusing to name her source, Nothing but the Truth has nothing to do with you know what or who.
Lurie isn't Larry Cohen, let alone Sam Fuller, but give him points for working the same tradition of engagé tabloid filmmaking.
Nothing But the Truth has been made with brains, pace, and skill, and with a topical fury that puts it ahead of the curve on its real subject: the withering of freedom in a democracy gone apathetic.
The Rod Lurie film is a typically intelligent if occasionally overwritten political thriller, boasting a powerhouse cast headed by Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga and Alan Alda.
The story of a journalist willing to go to prison to defend her right to protect her source on an explosive story, Nothing but the Truth itself resembles a workmanlike piece of journalism motivated by an outraged sense of injustice.
Latest News for Nothing But the Truth
May 01, 2009:
Rod Lurie Tells Nothing But the Truth ![]()
With two movies headed to theaters last fall, it looked like 2008 was going to be a banner year for Rod Lurie -- but everything can change in the blink of a studio bankruptcy,... More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
December 19, 2008:
Five Favorite Films with Director Rod Lurie
Nothing But the Truth director Rod Lurie (The Contender) took a circuitous route to Hollywood -- he was an army officer and an entertainment reporter before perching himself in... More...
December 09, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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