Welcome back to Part 2 of our 10 best (at least we think so) political films. So, if you need a break from all that hectic back-to-school shopping and your brain requires some stimulation, break out the popcorn and enjoy.
We’ve made it to the Top Five. These were the really contentious choices, so here we go.
5. Coming Home
Unlike most war films, director Hal Ashby’s Coming Home deals with the aftermath of returning home and how Vietnam veterans coped.
As was the trend in the ’70s, the film’s almost continuous soundtrack adds as much to the storytelling as the actors do. Oscar-winning performances by both Jane Fonda and Jon Voight, along with a Hitchcock-style Ashby cameo (he did the same in Harold and Maude), make this a keeper.
4. Bridge of Spies
Based on the true story of Brooklyn lawyer, James B. Donovan, and his role in the prisoner exchange of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers.
With the majority of the film set in East Germany, director Steven Spielberg expresses the desperation of life behind the Berlin Wall and the fragility of the Cold War.
3. Munich
The story of the Israeli covert operation to eliminate the members of “Black September” who were responsible for the 1972 Olympic Munich massacre.
Director Steven Spielberg, as with many of his films (Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, to name a few), has an innate ability to take the viewer back in time and feel the era.
An international cast makes this a strong candidate for our Top Ten.
2. The Big Short
The Big Short tells the story of the lead-up to the 2008 financial crisis and the separate financial groups that predicted the inevitable.
Artificially low subprime mortgage rates and deficiencies in US regulation brought the world close to complete financial collapse. In the end, government bailouts went to the financial institutions that were at fault, while the rest lost savings and 401(k) retirement funds.
Stellar performances led by Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling make this a nice piece of scary history.
1. All the President’s Men
In 1972, a simple burglary at the Democratic Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel leads to a massive scandal and ultimately to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
Two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, take on the task of uncovering the secrets of the Republican Party. Wiretaps, slush funds and the infamous partially erased White House tapes are all the stuff of a great spy film - but this was true.
Robert Redford in the role of Bob Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein, with an exemplary supporting role by Jason Robards as editor Ben Bradlee, make this a historical classic.
If you’re a glutton for punishment, may we suggest a double feature: The Post and All the President’s Men. Different casts, made at different times, but both cover the lead-up to Watergate and give a perspective on early 1970s American politics.
And there you have it: the Top Five.
Five more films, five more arguments and, judging by how much bickering went into putting this list together, we’re sure everyone will have their own opinions about whether we got it right.
We’re thinking of doing another blog and matching quiz on war movies, any interest? Share your comments below.