We love a good ‘based on a true story’ film at Film Finds and here is one to shock and frustrate you. In the mid-90s, journalist Gary Webb uncovers a major scheme of importing huge quantities of cocaine, to be sold in ghettos across the USA. This raises money for arming the Nicaraguan Contras’ rebel army. And what organisation seems to be playing a major role? The CIA. Webb publishes his findings at great personal cost to himself and his family.
Some cast and crew apparently had pressure put on them by the government because of their involvement in the film. This alone, suggests that this film is worth watching. The US government were very angry about the production, clearly because it is a true story indeed. Kill the Messenger belongs alongside 1974’s All the President’s Men and 2015’s Spotlight as examples of how members of the press should never forget one of their chief aims; to hold government and society to account for their actions.
Jeremy Renner puts in a good shift as Webb, not just conveying the journalist’s drive for truth but also the immense strain he puts himself under. At times, one worries for his mental health. Michael Cuesta has a bigger output on television than in the cinema but provides a steady hand as director.
This is, essentially, a sad tale. Yes, it is a tale of doggedness by a noble journalist seeking justice, no matter the odds. What Webb did was admirable but when does such a quest cost the individual too much?
Certificate: 15
1 hour 52 min
Prime (subs), YouTube (£2.49)
Director: Michael Cuesta
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Robert Patrick, Jena Sims
