Sometimes doing the right thing can be an ugly and painful process, a sentiment that lies at the heart of Tom McCarthy’s newspicture Spotlight. It’s easy to make comparisons about it to All The President’s Men- both films put heavy emphasis on the gritty, dirt digging aspects of investigative journalism, and both rely on the weight and real world impact of their respective stories to help generate drama.
Certainly warranted of course, there are a few scenes that feel very influenced by the 1976 Best Picture nominee. And judging by the performances and subject matter, it’s fair to say Spotlight will definitely get a few award considerations of its own. But while the film only gives a minimal amount of detail on the characters’ personal lives, the unsettling and vast scope of the conspiracy they uncover provides more than enough emotion and weight to keep it from ever feeling too dry. There’s an emphasis on realism and detail, focused on staying true to Boston’s rich culture and the daily grind of the newsroom. Yet as the story progresses it’s hard not to get swept up in the toll it takes on our protagonists, and I think it finds a nice balance between the technical and the humane.
It’s a brand new editor at the Boston Globe, Marty Baron (a restrained and calm, but compelling Liev Schrieber) who pushes the situation into high gear. He casually suggests the Spotlight team- the hard nosed leader Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) and Matty Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James)- follow up on a recent story involving abusive Catholic priests, and a coverup that could implicate the entire Boston archdiocese. We are at least informed of the religious backgrounds of a couple of team members, notably Rezendes lamenting in one scene on his lack of church attendance over the years. The fallout and turmoil these revelations could bring to not just the city’s vast Irish Catholic community, but possibly the entire world isn’t lost on Spotlight, but they press on with their duty regardless.
Many of their potential leads are reluctant to rock the boat, some of them feeling powerless in the face of the church’s power and influence. After Rezendes disarms him, attorney Mitchell Garabedian (the always great Stanley Tucci, playing a man who feels defeated) provides them with vital information, along with researcher Richard Sipe (Richard Jenkins) over various phone conversations. His estimates on the amount of priests who have possibly assaulted children in the Boston area alone leaves the team visibly shaken in a rather powerful scene.
While I can always appreciate over-the-top movies, Spotlight’s lack of excess sensationalism lends a sense of weight to the instances in which it does tug at your heartstrings. The various victims the reporters encounter and interview are sympathetic, sometimes heartbreaking without going into melodrama, and the team consistently puts forth a sense of determination and compassion that make them easy to root for- especially as they dig deeper into the ugly details (including one interview Sacha has with a former priest that’s downright shocking).
The nuanced performances are easily the film’s biggest selling point. Keaton’s performance as Robby stands out, with a direct and no-nonsense manner he applies to both his friends and opponents. McAdams as Pfeiffer is just as much a bulldog, but is still the more empathetic between the two as they often pair up. d’arcy James is a good everyman who comes across a bizarre detail right under his nose, and John Slattery is solid as the initially skeptical boss Ben Bradlee Jr., who eventually is equally as hopeful to see justice done.
Even with a limited amount of screentime, Len Cariou is a deceptively charming but intimidating antagonist as Cardinal Bernard Law. As Rezendes, Ruffalo hulks up in the film’s breakout performance, gradually evolving his character from a seemingly unassuming, charmingly dorky personality to an infuriated, passionate crusader as he becomes more invested in the case. And you will like him when he’s angry.
On top of being a loving tribute to old-school journalism and chronicling one of the most important stories of our lifetimes, Spotlight is the rare dialogue heavy drama that can thrill like a good action movie. It provides a good deal of intensity and heroism on display while maintaining a strong element of believability, and without lapsing into typical Hollywood cliches. Easily recommended- Michael/Mark’s fellow Avengers would be proud.