Meryl Streep -Tom Hanks Starrer '' The Post '' Review - This Film is a Tribute To The Power of Fearless Journalism

 

Tom Hanks stars as The Washington Post’s legendary editor Ben Bradlee, a veteran newspaperman determined to publish the Pentagon Papers because it’s correct journalism, and because he realizes it’s an opportunity that could put the newspaper in the big league.

But it’s Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham, his publisher, who’s currently in the process of taking the company public in order to raise more funds for the paper, who stands to lose everything if they were to report the story and take on the White House.

It’s the push-pull dynamic between editor and publisher that’s at the heart of this film. But frankly this is as much a feminist story

Meryl Streep’s character is basically a socialite thrust into a role she inherited from her late husband. She’s surrounded by a Board comprising men who undermine her opinion and reek of condescension. They advise her against publishing the Papers, and yet she risks it all to do the right thing. It’s one of the most rousing moments in the film, and Streep plays it as a moment of reckoning; the moment you know that Graham has finally grown into her role.

Layered and consistently compelling, The Post is a celebration of a woman’s rise to her full potential, and a tribute to the power of fearless journalism. You’ll find that in these times of “fake news” and “paid news” and political leaders trying to muzzle the media, it’s an inspiring reminder of the need for a free and fair press.

I’m going with four out of five. Don’t miss it.

Rating: 4 / 5