At times the film feels overstuffed from too much history being condensed into 2 hours. But it’s consistently engaging, primarily on the strength of Cranston’s riveting, heartfelt performance, which has deservedly earned him an Oscar nomination this year.

The film is a fascinating account of how show business works, where success ultimately subverts everything else.

It all makes for an enthralling story about how far government, industry and individuals might go to uphold what they believe is right.

While the period detailing is great, the film does have a few historical inaccuracies. And yes, the pace can be a bit slow at times but the emotional intensity of the film never sags. And John McNamara’s script saves the day.

Watch this one for the brilliant Bryan Cranston and his perfectly delivered lines, a lovely Diane Lane as his wife Cleo and Mirren, a truly terrifying and malevolent journalistic force of nature.

By and large the film is faithful to it’s subject and keeps you engrossed and involved in it’s drama. So largely fulfilling in my opinion!

Bryan Cranston fails to save this bland biopic of a popular screenwriter…

Trumbo may not dig deep – for all its pleasures, the film doesn’t linger. But it does a fine job of picking up a remarkable real life story of an unlikely hero and telling it with a filmic aura it deserves.

Trumbo provides a snapshot of what was clearly a very dark time in Hollywood and American history, but it stays a bit thin on the ground.