“Some stories are just too true to tell” – Probably my favorite line from this movie. What a great movie, about truth, and the rollercoaster one man puts himself on in the search for and attempting to tell it …
AND not just a couple of foreign journalists in a far away place – Kill The Messenger is set in the US …
The story of the movie being the CIA selling drugs in America in order to raise money to fund a war. True or not I don’t know.
One man’s quest to seek the truth and tell it to others. How the truth is eventually marginalised by character assassination and credibility destruction. How the truth is covered up by powerful people who’d really rather the truth wasn’t know, or believed. The lengths which they’ll go to hush or cover up.
His friends and colleges rally round when they think the story is a moneymaker, a honey pot for all of them. Then how quickly they drop him when they realise they’ll lose their jobs and their own credibility if they continue to be seen to support him. Still, business must prosper, right ?
Some stories are just too true to tell, or not, what do you think ?
Cheers
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As an American, it is my perception that the CIA is/has been given a lot of leeway in the past (and present) in order to do their “job.” There ARE Confressional oversight committees that review the activities of the CIA—including “black ops”—and grant funding, or no, for certain operations. That having been said, I think it quite possible that a rogue-type department within the CIA (or within another government agency—i.e. the NSA) might very well engage in “illegal” activity like the movie indicates, in order to fund operations that wouldn’t clear the oversight committees.
Several movies in the past have explored similar ideas; one of the better ones being “Swordfish.” After all, the Iran-Contra scandal was all about finding a way to fund an operation that Congress wouldn’t provide funding for. One of my all-time favorite movies exploring the rogue-CIA-bad-guys theme was 3 Days of the Condor, although it would seem “dated” when viewed today, because of the technology. Whenever it comes to fictional movies about government corruption and/or CIA misconduct, I say wherever there’s cinema smoke, there’s probably real-world fire. 😉
I’ve seen Swordfish, and don’t remember having seen “3 days of the condor”, but it’s possible I have watched a lot of movies. I should probably look it up anyway, sounds fascinating ! … Like you say as things do “date”, they do become harder to connect with, especially if there’s a generation gap. Some movies don’t so much – I watched Hitchcock’s “12 Angry Men” fairly recently, for instance, which I didn’t find it’s age much of an issue 🙂
What I find most fascinating about movies, is the story they tell beyond the story, that is the one that connects with our own situations and lives. I do see that there are dangers in free expression, especially where that free expression “hurts” powerful people or groups. The temptation for journalists and writers is to report the truth as people would like it be, or think it is, rather than stepping out on a limb to report something real … cliches like the “fact being stranger than fiction” apply and now for me “some stories are just too true to tell” …
“3 Days of the Condor” (starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway) was made in 1975—so there were no cell phones or internet that could be used as plot devices. All the information-gathering within the plot had to be done “old school.” But the story (about corruption within a government agency: the CIA) is classic, and the plot is just as timely today as it was then; especially with the revelations made by Edward Snowden.
I’m a big movie buff, and typically watch 200-300 movies a year (many of them for the first time). When I was a much younger man, I saw The Manchurian Candidate (1962 B&W)—with Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey—and was blown away by the storyline and the film. Then Hollywood “remade” the movie in 2004, and COMPLETELY changed the plot. The greater “antagonist” was no longer the insidious spread of Communism—but the evil of greedy corporatism; and the plot had to really stretch to make the title (The Manchurian Candidate) have any significance to the story. I was very disappointed in both the film and with Hollywood.
As far as “Kill the Messenger” is concerned, the FACT that the Obama administration puts journalists under surveillance, taps their phones, and reads their email gives a lot of credence to the plot of the movie.
http://thehill.com/regulation/231140-doj-bullies-and-threatens-journalists-former-reporter-says
I’m fairly sure I’ve seen both movies actually … and yes remakes can be better, but often are disappointing … “The Italian Job”, for instance, just shouldn’t have been remade …
I enjoy watching movies too, I always feel blessed by how damn smart some writers and film makers are at getting across underlying narratives in such a flexible and easy to follow medium. But think I said that already !
Another question that arises in movies like this is – What is “national security” ? … which I heard a good line, in a movie on TV, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (a remake itself, probably not as good as the original) – “whatever you (they) want it to be” …
A great line. A scary premise. Sounds like a movie worth seeing. 😉
Definitely worth a watch, interesting story and meanings 🙂