After stints in movies that have limited his ability to showcase his range (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy), the talented Jeremy Renner returns to the type of film that has helped establish him as one of America’s best, under the radar actors. With Academy Award nominations in back-to-back years (The Hurt Locker – Best Actor, The Town – Best Supporting actor), Renner brings his acting prowess back to the big screen for the first time in four years in Michael Cuesta’s (Showtime’s Homeland) Kill the Messenger. While researching this movie, I learned that Renner is signed to continue the Bourne, Mission Impossible, and Avengers franchises. Now while I’m never going to chastise an actor for getting as much money as they can, it would be my wish that he exit two of these three series (the Bourne series is tired and played out, and there is no need for his character in the Mission Impossible franchise) and concentrate on roles that bring out more of the actor in him. Then, of course, he would still have The Avengers movies for name recognition and bigger paydays. I feel like this man has a handful of Academy Award nominations (and hopefully a couple of wins) in his future if he continues tackling these more character-driven movies.
The movie took place in 1996. It has been more than seven years since the Contra War ended with the signing of the Tela Accord and the demobilization of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and Contra armies. Webb is in the right place at the right time when he is approached by a woman who, in exchange for him appearing as an interested party at the court hearing of her boyfriend, is given some files that the public was never intended to see. Quickly, the skillful, intelligent, and fearless Webb can piece together a connection between the cocaine being brought into the United States and sold to major drug dealers known by the CIA (who then sold the cocaine on the streets and made junkies out of a lot of people) in a means of assuring the rebels fighting in Nicaragua were adequately armed. Before we move on, two parts of this are not just head-scratchers but almost impossible to believe. The first is why the CIA would knowingly ever take part in this. The second is how could they possibly ever think they could get away with it? Well, you might wonder, Did they do it and get away with it? I will not ruin the movie for you by answering that question though some readers of this blog and viewers of this movie will know the entire story ahead of time. I, for one, did not.
It’s funny that this story came out half a decade after the event. The criticisms of Webb even in 1996, I feel, would almost be non-existent today. So much research was put into this story before it came out, and more had to be done afterward. Still, Webb and the San Jose Mercury were each heavily scrutinized for their initial coverage and follow-up of this story. They broke the news, and it seemed like The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times were intent on bringing them down because they hadn’t sniffed the story. Back then, if you broke an account, it seemed like you had to have a list of sources to verify what you were saying. Today, because of the ease of posting information, anybody can post about anything without real consequences. Granted, if you work for a major news company, maybe that isn’t the case as much, but I certainly believe that the same journalist integrity that existed in the 20th century is not there today.
Webb did his due diligence in researching the story. He talked to people everywhere and even traveled to Nicaragua to verify his sources. The problem was that the CIA wanted to bury this story, and, as stated many times during the movie, it is the job of the CIA not to speak. So even though Webb had sources and documents, he still had not a single former member of the CIA who could corroborate his story. The current members of the CIA and other newspapers tried to discredit him, all in an attempt to silence him. He and his family were threatened. His former skeletons were dragged out of the closet. Webb was far from perfect, but he was a credible reporter. The attempts to ruin his career and personal life were unfounded and unfair. The bullying tactics we try to eliminate today were on full display. Nothing was held back in an attempt to destroy the man who refused to leave alone a story that needed telling. But Webb refused to back down even when his newspaper, including his editor Jerry (Oliver Platt – Flatliners, Love and Other Drugs), told him to let the story go. He believed in his story when no one else did. It was both his finest moment and his tragic flaw.
Also, if you haven’t had a chance to check out any of Renner’s previous work, I recommend you do so. There is so much more to him than the blockbuster movies he has associated himself with recently. I think anybody could play Hawkeye from The Avengers, but only a few actors could play a character like Gary Webb or Staff Sgt. William James (The Hurt Locker).
Great matinee movie.
Plot 9/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 9.5/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 9/10 (mid 90’s in full effect)
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 9/10 (a taut thriller without the need for guns or violence…keeps you engaged throughout)
Universal Relevance 9/10 (an important story that should be told…maybe earlier than 2014…possibly not needed for the big screen)
88.5%
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