Truth 2015

     This is the story of The Killian Documents controversy.  It was also known as Rathergate.  Before the 2004 presidential election, Dan Rather and CBS News head Mary Mapes aired a segment on 60 Minutes about President George Bush.  They were given documents stating that President Bush avoided being drafted to go to Vietnam.  He pulled strings through his father’s political advantages and contacts.  According to the documents, President Bush was enlisted in the Air National Guard but he did not serve.  He could not be rated on his performance because he was not there to serve.

      Both Dan Rather and Mary Mapes thoroughly investigated the documents and they believed they were accurate.  The question of the truth of the documents didn’t matter?   It was the authenticity of the documents that was questioned?  Everything about their investigation was blown apart because of political influences and suppression of the truth.  The retraction of statements made and so called Internet experts contributed to the chaos.  Both Rather, Mapes and their team did not come out of this unscathed.   3 ½* (I liked this movie)

126 min, Bio directed by James Vanderbilt with Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss, Bruce Greenwood, Stacy Keach, John Benjamin Hickey, David Lyons, Dermot Mulroney, Rachael Blake.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, Metacritic 66 out of 100 with 35 critic, The Guardian 3* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 463 reviews, Decider 4* out of 5* with 4 votes.

Special Note:  Filmed in Sydney, Penrith, Kensington, Fox Studios, Auburn, New South Wales, Australia and Los Angeles, California.