BLU-RAY/DVD REVIEWS

Based on true life, political operatives working for President Nixon broke into the Watergate Hotel to spy on the Democratic National Committee. Two low-level reporters start investigating the event and discover there’s an elaborate web of political sneakiness, espionage, and illegal activity directed by the White House. Woodward and Bernstein, these two impetuous sleuths, risk their lives to unravel the presidency of the most infamous president in history.

Reviewing ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is simply impossible. Perhaps at the time of its release some opinionated blowhards had the temerity to attack this film. Hell, perhaps some die-hard Nixon fans still think the guy got a raw deal thanks to this film. However, for me, this is an impossible task. “Why?” might you ask, because ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is in an elite class of films that I consider to be the greatest of all time. Stuck on a shelf with THE GODFATHER, CITIZEN KANE, CASABLANCA, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is in a class of its own.

What makes ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN a classic is threefold: performances, intrigue, and timing. Regarding performances, Robert Redford delivers one of the three best of his career. Alongside BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and THE STING, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is the best that we’ve ever seen from Redford. He’s charming, serious, intense, and delivers one of the most natural representations of a journalist caught on film. What makes this performance even more astounding is that he never planned on playing the role because he was only interested in producing this movie.

Despite that I am typically not a Dustin Hoffman fan, I make an exception for this movie. His manic style fits perfect in the film because it acts in perfect juxtaposition to Redford’s calm and cool Woodward. Hoffman gives much needed comic relief as well as a ballsy crowd-pleasing attitude. Hoffman is a wonderful yang to Redford’s ying.

The other performances worth applauding are those of Hal Holbrook and Jason Robards. Holbrook doesn’t have a lot of flash to give but just by lurking in the shadows as Deep Throat adds mystery and intrigue. Meanwhile, Robards portrayal of Ben Bradlee brings a mix of seniority and integrity. He plays a phenomenal devil’s advocate that ensures the journalistic integrity of this story. These two top notch actors challenge Redford and Hoffman on multiple occasions and make for great foils when the actual villains are left out of the story.

In regards to intrigue, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is filled to the brim with it. As these two sleuths attempt to deduce what they’re onto, the spectre of arrest always looms in the background. Especially for those students of history who don’t know all of the details of Watergate, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN spins a web similar to that of INCEPTION. The rapid-fire delivery of names makes following the storyline a puzzle that might take several viewings (or a good bit of research) necessary.

Finally, the timing of this film is impeccable. Just two years after Nixon resigned, all of the characters here were fresh in the public eye. Redford and company struck while the iron was still hot and delivered a movie emblematic of it’s time. This happens maybe once or twice during a decade, and ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is my candidate for the 1970s.

This BluRay includes three in-depth featurettes, an original featurette from 1976, a commentary track with Robert Redford, and an appearance by Jason Robards on Dinah! in 1976. From what I can tell these are the same extras featured in the original DVD release of this film. The case does include a very nice booklet that has full-color photos and a time line of the events of the film.

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN is a modern classic. It brings to life a story that shaped our modern world. Furthermore, it includes some fantastic performances from a couple of the best actors of their generation. If you don't own this movie already, buy it. If you love it and only have the DVD, you won't be let down to pick it up on Blu!