Friday Film Noir
The Front Runner (2018) is a political drama directed by Jason Reitman and written by Matt Bai, Jay Carson, and Reitman, adapted from Bai’s book All the Truth Is Out . Based on a true story, the narrative details the 1988 presidential campaign of Senator Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman), whose clear path to the Democratic nomination abruptly collapses following media scrutiny over his extramarital affair with Donna Rice (Sara Paxton), placing severe strain on his marriage to Lee Hart (Vera Farmiga). The Gary Hart ordeal is widely seen as the pivotal moment American political journalism shifted from policy coverage to tabloid sensationalism. The late night alleyway confrontation between Hart and Miami Herald reporters was filmed at the actual Washington, D.C. townhouse where the 1987 media stakeout occurred. The film was shot on vintage 35mm film stock to replicate the grainy visual texture of late-eighties news photography. The entire production was completed on a tight 43-day sho...