The Film
Investigative journalism is alive, well, and extremely interesting in Spotlight, the latest true tale to come out of the city of Boston. This critically acclaimed drama shines a light on the team of Boston Globe reporters who managed to uncover a massive child molestation scandal within the local Catholic Archdiocese.
The entire thing started in 2001, when a column by Eileen McNamara sparked something in new Globe editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber). McNamara basically said that Cardinal Law, the Archbishop of Boston, knew that priest John Geoghan was sexually abusing children and did nothing to stop it. Looking to boost the paper's profile and readership, Baron assigns the story to his "Spotlight" team, which includes Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton), Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James). And boy, they really run with it.
It's important to know that Spotlight isn't so much about individual incidents and the whole cover-up, but instead focuses on how the team uncovers the scandal and takes it public. Oh, there are plenty of horrifying details, but it's a fascinating peek into the journalism process. This is pre-Internet, so there's a lot of digging to do. Knocking on doors, going through old books and files, flipping through microfiche, and interviewing victims; it's tense, exciting, and extremely sad.
However, Spotlight is also packed with great performances -- a lot of them. There's not a bad one in this all-star bunch, which also includes Stanley Tucci and Billy Crudup as lawyers working on opposite sides of the scandal.
Just don't let the initial subject matter scare you away. Spotlight is one of the best films of the year, as well as one of the best films about journalism. It's right up there with All the President's Men or any other great movie about the media. The cast alone is worth sitting through this emotional, often disturbing movie.
Looking to uncover even more about this movie? Check out Matthew Passantino's theatrical review of Spotlight.
The Picture
It's hard to say that this 1.85:1 image dazzles, but it certainly delivers. A lot of the moments inside the newsroom are dominated by bright whites and a bland color palette, but it always looks good and portrays the time period and atmosphere perfectly. The film has plenty of action beyond the office as well, which includes a lot of bright outdoor imagery, good black levels, and a nice overall contrast. Like everything else related to Spotlight, the image doesn't disappoint, and includes plenty of detail in faces, clothing, and surrounding scenery.
The Sound
Spotlight is a really quiet film, but the disc's lone DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track still manages to be pretty satisfying. Of course, you're not going to bust this disc out when it comes time to demo your home theater system. However, it perfectly delivers all of the dialogue and the overall experience of the movie. That dialogue can be low at times, but you'll never miss a word. That said, the surrounds still get plenty of use between the score of the film and all of the atmospheric sounds, such as birds tweeting, street sounds, crowd chatter, and more.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
Spotlight has received a ton of accolades -- and all of it is incredibly deserving. Still, it's understandable that Spotlight may be a tough sell. The disc has such a disappointing crop of extras and the subject matter probably isn't something you'd want to watch repeatedly. Still, the film is so well made and so well-acted, it makes Spotlight well worth the purchase.
Product Details
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