​FILMS

spotlight

The spotlight is well and truly on 'Spotlight'.

2016 review number 8:

Spotlight: (Drama): 84 out of 100: Damn those paedophile priests to hell! That's what the Spotlight team aimed to achieve at the Boston Globe early this century. The world of investigative journalism is examined in this thought-provoking drama which names and shames the priests of the Boston archdiocese. This is no tabloid journalism. These are the facts: pursued, recorded and written by quality journalists who are seemingly up against the system where the guilty are protected and the innocent are ignored.

 

The "Spotlight" team was an integral part of the Boston Globe in 2001 when it attempted to expose the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. This investigative journalist team consisted of editor Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton) and reporters Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James). The team is challenged by the judicial system, the Catholic Church and lawyers, making their job of printing the allegations all the more difficult.

 

The intensity of the story along with the excellent acting provide a superb drama that will have you thinking about all the child abuse cases that have only just seen the light. It makes you wonder how many Catholic priests have escaped the attention of the authorities. Spotlight is a classic example of how the industry can relay information to its audience and this definitely is a message movie. It would have been so easy to make this melodramatic. Credit must go to director Tom McCarthy for providing the shots that explain the situation without insulting or manipulating its viewers or hoping that they would cry just because of the message it delivers.

 

A great ensemble cast is led by Michael Keaton and he proves to the public that last year's comeback in Birdman was no fluke. Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams have both been nominated for Oscars with Ruffalo showing especially that he will eventually receive one, although perhaps not for this role as I predict that Sylvester Stallone will receive the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Creed. Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber and Billy Cruddup also have pivotal roles in the revelation of the Catholic Church's misdeeds. In fact, numerous characters come and go throughout the whole film which is the only blemish on the movie for it's quite difficult to keep track of all the people portrayed.

 

There's an authentic feel to Boston with the location shooting generating the atmosphere that is necessary to promote the intensity of the story. The interiors filmed in the newspaper offices also provide a genuine feel of how newspapers and their reporters operate. Howard Shore has composed the music score and it beautifully portrays the sensitive nature of the movie's subject.

 

Spotlight is an important movie made for our society, not only for highlighting the need to retain investigative journalism but also to convict anyone who is guilty of a crime, in this case the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.

 

Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Brian d’Arcy James, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci and Billy Crudup

(129 minutes)

Parental advice: Coarse language, sexual references and adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56jw6tasomc (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Thursday 14th January, 2016)

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