…craft alone can’t make a good film great. A movie is built on stories one would like to hear and characters one would like to empathize with. The film has one but falters on the other. The measure of the movie’s capability to stand out comes with its final shot. It alludes to the burgeoning Watergate Scandal, and you’ll realize that you’ve enjoyed All The President’s Men much more than The Post. One was truly great and the other is just good.

The Post ends with a little prelude to the watergate scandal–the infamous burglary. Steven Spielberg perhaps paying homage to Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 Hoffman-Redford starrer classic All The President’s Men. Pakula’s film is evidently superior, but if he were alive today and saw The Post he would be impressed by what Spielberg has achieved with the material under his possession. 

Apart from watching this film for Hanks, Streep & Spielberg, watch this for its mastering approach of portraying a decision that made history. Ending by quoting the movie itself, “Press was made to serve the governed, not the governors!”

It’s also a rallying cry and an inspiration. Spielberg and writers Liz Hannah and Josh Singer who also wrote Spotlight, make an eloquent argument for a free and fair press and for courageous media company owners who are willing to speak truth to power. In the current scenario, especially in India, this seems almost as much of a fantasy as a Marvel superhero movie. Which is why The Post needs to be seen.

So often, the narrative is left on the side, as we watch Streep’s Graham reflecting on her life, marriage and family, passion for the newspaper, thinking aloud, arguing with men — all of them junior to her, and even being conflicted about her decisions.

All of this makes for a good film, but not brilliant cinema.

This movie isn’t ‘Spotlight’, but it is one of the better journalism movies made. 

Tom Hanks turns in another impressive performance, more impressive for often being just one of the many men in smoke-filled newsrooms. But it is Meryl Streep who just steals the show from right under their noses.

These aren’t necessarily the debates we’re either willing or confident enough to have. But we must. To doubt, to challenge, to never settle – that’s what The Post is about. Journalism has seen worse days, so there is no question that it will survive this worrisome phase in its undeterred story. We will not see it survive, but we can help make sure it stands a chance.

Similiar to a handwritten letter that takes its time, ‘The Post’ is not a standard thrilling political drama but comes home in the end in another essential addition to the filmography of an influential filmmaker.

Layered and consistently compelling, The Post is a celebration of a woman’s rise to her full potential, and a tribute to the power of fearless journalism. You’ll find that in these times of “fake news” and “paid news” and political leaders trying to muzzle the media, it’s an inspiring reminder of the need for a free and fair press.