This is a great film with a topic that couldn't have been more timely at its release and it is filled with great performances.
Here the film opens with some men breaking into the Watergate hotel. Bob Woodward (Robert Redford), a new reporter for the Washington Post is on the story. However, though Woodward has good contacts and is able to obtain the necessary information, he is still green at figuring out how to make a story sound good. Enter Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) who snatches Woodward's story and rewrites it. Though Woodward is mad, he does realize that the story is better with Bernstein writing it, so Ben Bradlee (an Oscar-winning Jason Robards, Jr.) puts both men on the case. They delve further into the story, investigating how high up this break-in goes. However, this is a cover-up of massive proportion. While on the phone with the secretary of the White House Library, in one breath she admits that Howard Hunt checked out tons of books, but once she comes back from checking that out, she says that she never knew this Hunt. They investigate everyone, and no one is willing to admit who authorized the break-in and who paid the men the money that was found on them. Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook) tells Woodward to follow the money and how big the cover-up actually is. Nixon is so paranoid that he won't get re-elected that for the past year that he has done other things to ruin the Democrats. However, because no one will admit anything, this is impossible to prove. Bernstein uses some borderline unethical methods to get information out of this one bookkeeper (Jane Alexander). He barges into her home and drinks coffee for hours to get as much information out of her as possible, but she still won't give them names, only initials. This is a huge problem. But eventually, after talking to Hugh Sloan (Steven Collins) who testified to the grand jury only because his pregnant wife threatened to leave him if he didn't leave his job.
There is tons of old-fashioned leg work and research done by both Woodward and Bernstein, whom Bradlee has nicknamed Woodstein. Some interesting phone calls are taken by both, including one from a man in Minneapolis who is nervous about things because his neighbor's wife has been kidnapped. This man has no idea how the money he donated to the committee to re-elect the president has landed in the hands of a man accused of breaking into the Watergate hotel.
The case gets crazier and then some misinformation almost causes the entire story to unravel. Luckily, that man, though not named by the sources, was truly involved in covering up the scandal. Eventually, everything leads up to the president, and Nixon resigns just days after saying he would never do that.
The film is excellent and shows the power of true investigative journalism, something that no longer exists which is just too sad. The newsroom is recreated with every detail covered. And it seems real, while Woodward is uncovering his story, others are gathered around the TV watching the story where Eagleton, McGovern's vice-presidential candidate withdraws from the race. This film won a much-deserved Oscar for Art Direction. The screenplay also won, much deserved.
The actors, mainly Redford and Hoffman are amazing, but the supporting cast including Martin Balsam and Jack Warden are brilliant. Jason Robards would win an Oscar and Jane Alexander managed to earn a nomination despite only appearing on screen for about six minutes in her role which mainly consisted of nodding. The film deals with some difficult issues and one that will hopefully never happen again. Too bad investigative journalism is basically dead. This film is a true political thriller and one that I will gladly watch again because of all the twists and turns along the way. Grade: A
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