SHOCK AND AWE (2017)

Cast

Plot

The film is not another “Spotlight,” let alone an “All the President’s Men.” The writing, by Joey Hartstone (who scripted Mr. Reiner’s “LBJ”), has more interest in reaching the least-informed viewers than in realism. (Those who deal with national affairs coverage every day don’t have so many expository conversations explaining who’s who; Milla Jovovich, as Landay’s wife, tells him that she canceled their subscription to The Times because she sees the paper’s coverage as packaged government news releases.) Still, at a time when the current president routinely dismisses the accuracy of reporting, “Shock and Awe” feels more timely than it might have. It also captures an aspect of journalism not often portrayed: the fear of being wrong when the conclusions of your reporting break from those of your competitors. By Ben Kenigsberg