The Report: Investigating the CIA's Torture Program
Scott Z. Burns' The Report centers around the uncovering of the CIA's post 9/11 torture practices by Senate staffer Daniel Jones and explores government corruption in a bold and edgy approach. The political thriller stars Adam Driver with many moments that seem like an exaggerated version of the post 9/11 history in America.
Burns structures the film to shift back and forth between the torture scenes and the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings headed by Driver's Daniel Jones. Jones is ordered by Annette Bening's Diane Feinstein to lead the investigation. Jones spends a good portion of his life uncovering the horrifying truths of a report that might never see light. Jones is locked in a bunker room sifting through thousands and thousands of CIA documents from over a period of years. Jones viewed photos and documents that were horrific to him and consumed his entire life. He spent endless amounts of time trying to figure out how to get these harsh practices into documentation and in front of the public.
As each box and document are opened and discovered, audiences are transported back into that time and experience the event. Jones goes through about 6.3 million documents in a period of 5 years. Audiences transport back to the Pentagon in 2001 where they learn that the September 11 attacks led to the CIA enacting new laws that included torturing prisoners and hiring two psychologists to interrogate by using brutal tactics that resulted in no new information.
The torture provides feelings of a horror movie or thriller. Detainees are shown being waterboarded and being kept up all night by blaring music. These scenes of torture point to the difference in getting information versus taking out anger on someone else. It is completely frustrating to watch knowing that no information came out of these sessions and it just shows an exploitation of power from a legitimate agency that is suppose to be well-trusted by the people.
The Report is driven by Driver's performance as the intense one-man show who spends a big part of his life trying to attain justice and show the CIA's wrongdoings. The movie shows the lows of the CIA and the intelligence agency in its trusting of two psychologists who uses violence to find answers. Jones faces obstacles of political appearances when he runs into high-ranking officials who advise him to stop his investigation and that it is hurting hard-working individuals. Driver's obsession is mesmerizing to watch on the screen and proves that he is one of the best performers of his generation. He fully embodies the role as the resilient and quiet staffer that seeks the truth.
The film feels ancient and stuck in a mold as if it were filmed in 2004 and released this year. There is a lot of important information in the film but it is brought down with the drabness and lack of excitement. It feels procedural instead of thrilling. The film was created in order to tell a story and makes audiences mad and empowers them. The subtle dialogue is what makes it good and Burns deserves credit for not turning into and over-dramatic Oscar bait production. It tells the story straight up with out playing political party lines. The Report is an important film that offers a look back into history and uncovers truths that the public may have not know. It is a hard watch but it is important.