“With great people there’s no difference between principle and the person.” – Alan Burnside (Alan Alda), Attorney for Rachel Armstrong

I often hesitate to recommend movies, because my taste is often quite different than those of my friends.  Sometimes, though, I will enjoy a film so much that I just have to share :)  Such is the case with Nothing But the Truth.

Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale), a reporter for a major DC newspaper, gets the scoop of a lifetime.   The President of the United States has ordered military action against Venezuela in retaliation for an assassination attempt on his life.  The strike is carried out in spite of reports from undercover CIA operative Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmigna) that indicate the Venezuelan government was not involved.  Armstrong’s story omits none of the details, including Van Doren’s identity.

Sound familiar?

The pressure on Armstrong is immediate and hard-hitting.  She is swiftly forced to make the decision – stand firm on her journalistic principles or face jail time for contempt of court for refusing to reveal her source.   At the same time, the consequences of her outing massively upend Van Doren’s life.

I like political dramas, I admit.  I also have enjoyed writer and direct Rod Lurie’s work in the past.  He deals with some meaty, controversial topics and for the most part avoids pontification.   I could have enjoyed the this well-written, well-acted flick simply based on those things.  However I found myself really intrigued by the strength Lurie demonstrated in the two female lead characters.   Armstrong and Van Doren fight their own battles, they stand for what they believe in when most people would crumble, and they don’t need men (even strong men) to accomplish either.

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 11:48 am and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.