The Post

THE GIST: Realizing the depth of lies and deception that multiple administrations engaged in to justify the Vietnam war, a military analyst, Daniel Ellsberg, decides to make copies of top-secret documents that later become the Pentagon Papers. A leak in the New York Times about their scope puts the Nixon administration on the defensive and the Washington Post, newly inherited by Kay Graham after her husband's death, in need to compete. The Post's editor wants to publish the Papers, but Graham will have to weight the paper's chances of surviving a potential federal lawsuit versus fighting for freedom of the press.

The Post is a wonderful cerebral dramatization of one of the gravest crisis faced by this country, and of the greatest challenge faced by one of the oldest and most venerable papers in circulation.

The film, directed with mastery by Steven Spielberg, was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

Meryl Streep, also nominated for a Best Lead Actress Oscar, is extraordinary as Kay Graham, flanked by the great Tom Hanks. The cast also includes Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, Jesse Plemons, and Michael Stuhlbarg, among many others.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Absolutely recommended for both the gripping tale and the phenomenal acting. A must-see also for enriching one's personal knowledge about the machinations of governing.

Grade: 8