...and they did it with such gusto and in such a fluid manner that it is obvious these things happen all the time. The made the movie of the one reveal that actually got public, but it must be just the tip of the iceberg. After the unintentional hilarity of the first minute of the film, where Driver's voice over fits a little bit too closely to the plot of the latest Star Wars trilogy in which he is also starring, the movie just relentlessly throws fact after fact, proof after proof, tense moment after tense moment, torture after torture until all you can feel is outrage. And Burns and Soderbergh have this way of making you feel strong feelings in a rather cold way. They are not pointing fingers as much as remove curtains. They don't over dramatize things as much as they reveal simple, bland events. And yet, in the end, the picture they oh so slowly portray is evoking strong feelings while keeping the viewer informed. They did the same with Contagion in 2011, a movie very apropos at this time and also very good.
So, this young guy is tasked with writing a report, alone with a small team, inside a basement, isolated from the world, sleep deprived, debased and humiliated... about how the CIA tortured prisoners by hiding them in basements, isolated, sleep deprived, debased and humiliated in order to teach them "learned helplessness". The parallel is not subtle at all. To be able to survive in the political world while compiling a report damning US politicians and security institutions is akin to resisting torture. A reporter tells the guy: "They had you build a boat that they never intended to sail" or something to that effect. There is a small moment when he almost went Snowden, but then reconsidered because he wanted to do the thing "the right way"... and he almost failed.
Bottom line: this is not an anti-American movie, it's a little partizan, though. It shows the evil corrupt side of the political system most than all. Prepare to see how incompetent people are paid millions to make others miserable, then are protected by any ill effects. If you just want the ending, no, there were no prosecutions for any of the things in the report: not the torture, not the cover up, not the lying to legislators.
So, this young guy is tasked with writing a report, alone with a small team, inside a basement, isolated from the world, sleep deprived, debased and humiliated... about how the CIA tortured prisoners by hiding them in basements, isolated, sleep deprived, debased and humiliated in order to teach them "learned helplessness". The parallel is not subtle at all. To be able to survive in the political world while compiling a report damning US politicians and security institutions is akin to resisting torture. A reporter tells the guy: "They had you build a boat that they never intended to sail" or something to that effect. There is a small moment when he almost went Snowden, but then reconsidered because he wanted to do the thing "the right way"... and he almost failed.
Bottom line: this is not an anti-American movie, it's a little partizan, though. It shows the evil corrupt side of the political system most than all. Prepare to see how incompetent people are paid millions to make others miserable, then are protected by any ill effects. If you just want the ending, no, there were no prosecutions for any of the things in the report: not the torture, not the cover up, not the lying to legislators.