Film recognizes little-known truth about Iraq war
Washington bureau, who most emphatically did not win the national argument: Much of their reporting and opinion pieces weren’t even run in Knight-Ridder newspapers.
Such was the run-up to war, and such was the public’s faith in the veracity of the Bush administration. Most of the public didn’t want to hear from any naysayers in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The only consolation these journalists have is the cold comfort of being proved right.
“Shock and Awe” — directed by Rob Reiner, who also takes the role of bureau chief John Walcott — spans the 18 months from 9/11 to the Iraq invasion. Like everyone vaguely connected to journalism or politics, Walcott and his reporters, "Shock and Awe." Directed by Rob Reiner. MPAA rating: R (for language, including some sexual references) Running time: 1:30 Now showing at the Easton 30 theater
Warren Strobel (James Marsden) and Jonathan Landay (Woody Harrelson), started hearing the rumors within weeks: The Bush administration was contemplating an Iraq invasion.
Soon the calculated leaks started coming from the White House — that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, that he was well into the process of building a nuclear bomb, or several bombs.
Most of the national press — the cable stations and national newspapers — took any assertion by the administration and reported it as fact. The KnightRidder crew tried something different — that is, journalism. They investigated every claim. And instead of just talking to the highest officials, who often had an ax to grind, they talked to midlevel officials who knew what was going on behind the scenes and were willing to tell the truth.
As the movie says, when politics becomes entertainment, access is the ultimate currency. “Shock and Awe” shows how that can be dangerous, especially when an administration sets out to do a publicity campaign and is willing to lie.
Rather than risk access to top White House officials, reporters might toe the line, in a symbiosis that benefits everybody — except the public.
At one point, Walcott tells his staff that they don’t write for the kind of people who declare wars but for the kind of people who end up fighting them. It’s an obvious Spielberg-like moment, but Reiner, both as actor and director, is up to it.
Likewise, even though the reporters sometimes seem too prescient and the script suggests an exaggerated awareness of future history, this is an entertaining film about a frustrating situation.
“Shock and Awe” reminds us that journalism is essential but also fragile. Sometimes journalists tell the truth, and no one is interested. Sometimes everybody is looking in the wrong direction.