★★★★
Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.
Classification: 15
It's strange that the fallout from 9/11 and the Iraq War feels like a distant historical footnote due to the current volatile political climates of today. Although these tumultuous times can be directly attributed to the mistakes and the fear produced by this period, decisions that saw America cross moral lines in the name of national security. This fearful insecurity of American intelligence willingly being misled by pompous braggarts in hopes they can prevent further embarrassment upon themselves and get subconscious racist motivated revenge. I was six years old when 9/11 happened, I do not remember where I was or if I understood any of it, but I do remember not caring when I was 9 about the beginning of the Iraq invasion. At times I feel desensitized to all of the current lamentings of "how could America sink to this level" when I grew up learning about all the atrocities committed during this Bush era and the lack of accountability to these egregious acts. What makes The Report both inspiring and disheartening is the main character Daniel J. Jones' relentless factual deconstruction to the intelligence communities assurance that 'enhanced interrogation' yielded vital and life-saving knowledge.
The events of The Report covers a constantly shifting timeline of events that writer-director Scott Z Burns expertly frames through Jones' own investigative timeline. Flashbacks to events during counterintelligence briefings post 9/11 or the brutal tortures committed in black sites are prompted by memorandums and documentation that Jones uncovers from the CIA's own database. Burns doesn't hold back on the dehumanisation and damaging psychological damage inflicted upon these prisoners, directly questioning the very morality of the people who could commit this barbarism. Jones discovers that the CIA had hired two psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen as "contractors" to develop new techniques in interrogating suspects. What's shocking in the film is how no one in an official capacity at counter-intelligence sought references or evidence that backed up their "science", the film's central CIA characters portrayed by Michael C. Hall and Maura Tierney take it at face value and directly ignore humanitarian protests from medical professionals and trained interrogators.
It feeds into this sense of failure, 9/11 happened on the CIA's watch and they won't let it happen again and in their mind, they must go to furthest extremes to protect their country, this mentality of a wounded and paranoid predator. Douglas Hodge's performances as Mitchell is particularly loathsome as he blatantly lies and makes excuses for why the "EITs" (enhanced interrogation techniques) do not work in suppling useful intel. The entire legal framework for the program is that it produces useful intel, it's frightening how the supposed integrity of American values is shoved aside to justify torture, it doesn't work but because it would be illegal they have to make it work. Thus begins the brutal useless cycle of atrocities that yielded no tangible intelligence or legitimate results all because of righteous ignorance produced from xenophobic revenge fantasies that transformed into willful criminal negligence.
The Report despite all of its demoralizing imagery is proof for the characters and the audience that America's institutions have a unique power in the world. Jon Hamm who plays Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough states that no other country would allow Jones, a staffer of Senator Diane Feinstein to investigate this type of activity. All of Jones' evidence comes from CIA databases as it is discovered that while there would be an 'investigation' nobody expected that he would dig as deep as he did. Without access to interviews to any CIA personnel due to a concurrent Justice Department investigation, Jones pieces the story together entirely from the official documentation. Except for a 'Deep Throat'-Esque appearance from Tim Blake Nelson, Jones' probe is a very clinical 5-year long document review in a basement. This is part of what makes The Report such as success in making its material so captivating, a great three-pronged approach from Burns' screenplay, the editing of Greg O'Bryant and the nuanced performance of Adam Driver as Jones.
O'Bryant's editing is very effective in building the tension, these slow reveals to the lies behind ETI's which tie well into either the audience's potential hindsight or ignorance to the real events. Not only in how it effectively connects the flashbacks to Jones' own storyline but in displaying the slow infection of partisanism into American politics and how the assertion of facts is presented as dangerous. It becomes a battle against the red tape bureaucracy but also a darker cabal of these officials who don't wish to answer for their crimes. Ted Levine as CIA director John Brennan, an Obama appointee quickly becomes a narrative antagonist who seeks to bury Jones' report in the name of national security. It all stems back to the shaky and ambiguous legal argument used to justify the programmes as the CIA had already destroyed the tapes of these 'sessions' but wouldn't admit why. It's because they knew it was wrong, they knew didn't work but they did it anyway and now they are scared at being held accountable. In fact, many of the characters feel they shouldn't be punished, this moral righteousness that makes them believe everything they did was justified because of this flawed belief of American exceptionalism.
The idea of this exceptionalism runs deep in The Report, it's a belief that exists in many forms in all of the characters, Jones' character states he changed all of his graduate classes to national security after 9/11 because he wanted to serve his country better. Burns' film explores the twisted coin flip to this belief that America is the greatest country in the world. You have characters like Driver's Jones or Annette Bening's Feinstein work in the belief that justice and accountability to power, this freedom of truth is what makes America great and what gives them their standing on the world stage. Then you have the darker half fuelled by men like James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who believe America has carte blanche to do what they like in the name of their 'freedom' and they will punish any who endangers their position, lying and torturing regardless of results. The sick posturing of weak-willed men who believe beating and humiliating foreign men makes them feel powerful. The Report condemns the pointless partisan bickering that occurs in the pursuits to stop these truths, as both Bush and Obama administrations are held to account for their failures to stop this bullshit. The media's role around ETI's is questioned as well with Jones' pointing out the hypocrisy of shows like 24 and especially the idea that ETI's worked in finding Bin Laden as seen in the film Zero Dark Thirty for attempting to legitimise the failed programmes.
There is a slight audience and narrative disconnect to The Report with the audience given visual representation to the events of the black sites and the secret meetings. To see first hand the depravity and stupidity on display from Mitchell and Jessen, Jones does not as there is no audiovisual evidence left for him to examine. We see what Jones reads and while its a useful tool for Burns to make the film more engaging for the audience its actually a subconscious boost to Driver's performance. Driver is the lynchpin to the film as his character of Daniel J. Jones is a by the books, hard-working cog in the machines of congress. He is a trusted aid to Senator Diane Feinstein, chair of the Senate intelligence committee at the time and is placed in this investigative position because he is seen as a neutral, blank slate that won't get caught up in any partisan finger-pointing. What's incredible about The Report is how Driver's calm inquiring demeanour breaks away with every discovery, his emotions do begin to shine through, with a righteous exceptionalism to exposing these humanitarian atrocities to the frustrations of Bening and Levine's characters. With furious and emotional passion, driven by his belief in American ideals, Driver demands accountability, demands that the truth be revealed and won't take part in any form of a cover-up to protect individuals have betrayed the American justice system. It takes on extra power when reminded that Driver, after 9/11 joined the United States Marine Corps, he himself has taken an oath to defend the principles of his country making his anger towards these crimes all the more palpable. It becomes a personal quest for him and shows the frustrating reality of how truth and justice have just become pawns in the partisan games between Republicans and Democrats.
An immensely powerful film that champions the importance of truth and accountability towards the American government. As stated in the film it's a miracle that Jones' report exists but Burns and Driver's performance makes the case that it is simply not enough to acknowledge these crimes. It can lay it on pretty thick sometimes but Burns' direction does tap into the partisanship of the issues well by trying to condemn characters through morality rather than politics. Although like the film itself, it's easy to see how these lines are becoming blurred as no one was held accountable for what was done or what was discovered. The Report leaving its audience adrift in this ideological quagmire just like its characters despite any ethical victories that may have been achieved.
Director: #ScottZBurns
Cast: #AdamDriver, #AnnetteBening, #TedLevine, #MichaelCHall, #TimBlakeNelson, #CoreyStoll, #MatthewRhys, #MauraTierney, #ScottShepherd #JonHamm
Release Date: November 15th 2019
Available exclusively on Amazon Prime
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Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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