Friday Film Noir
Truth (2015) is a political drama written and directed by James Vanderbilt, based on the memoir by journalist Mary Mapes. The film centers on Mapes (Cate Blanchett), a veteran producer for 60 Minutes II, and anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford), as they pursue a report examining the military service of President George W. Bush. What begins as a confident investigation quickly turns into a crisis when questions emerge about the authenticity of key documents. As scrutiny intensifies, the newsroom shifts from certainty to defense, and Mapes finds herself at the center of a rapidly unraveling narrative. The film follows the internal mechanics of journalism under pressure, focusing on how decisions are made, challenged, and ultimately judged in the public arena.
Filmed in Australia, primarily in New South Wales, the production used Fox Studios Australia in Sydney to recreate CBS newsroom interiors and corporate offices, with set designs based on archival reference from the actual 60 Minutes II workspace. James Vanderbilt made his directorial debut after establishing himself as a screenwriter on Zodiac and The Amazing Spider-Man. The screenplay draws directly from Mary Mapes’s memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power, using her account as the primary framework for the timeline of events. Cate Blanchett studied archival footage and interviews to capture Mapes’s cadence and working style. Robert Redford said he tried to capture the essence of Dan Rather without turning him into a caricature, focusing on the contrast between Rather’s polite, dignified public manner and the harder instinct underneath that drove his reporting. The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
2015 • R • 2h 5m
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Holy Unknown Grade: B+
Worldwide Gross: 5.3M
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