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Kill the Messenger

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Kill the Messenger

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Summary

A journalist is driven to the brink of suicide by a smear campaign after he attempts to expose the CIA's alleged involvement with Contra rebels in Nicaragua and the importing of cocaine into California. Fact-based drama set during the 1990s, starring Jeremy Renner, Rosemarie DeWitt and Ray Liotta

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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Stella Papamichael

In 1996, "small-time" journalist Gary Webb wrote several pieces implicating the CIA in a crack epidemic affecting inner-city Los Angeles. Drawing a direct link between the US government and the Contras seeking to unseat Nicaragua's Sandinista government, Webb claimed that the rebels were being bankrolled by the unfettered selling of cocaine into South Central LA. Those reports provide the basis for this conspiracy thriller akin to All the President's Men in theme if not impact. In his best performance since The Hurt Locker, Jeremy Renner fires on all cylinders as Webb, a man searching for truth, and perhaps glory. But as Webb starts being systematically discredited by shadowy forces, the film's shift from the political to the personal makes for an uneven ride, though support from Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Barry Pepper and Tim Blake Nelson helps to thicken the mood. Director Michael Cuesta (TV's Homeland) might have done better sticking closer to Webb's investigative journalism, which indicted both foreign policy and the scandal of domestic social cleansing. Still, some food for thought is better than none.

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6.9/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameGary WebbJeremy RennerSue WebbRosemarie DeWittJohn CullenRay LiottaAlan FensterTim Blake NelsonRussell DodsonBarry PepperJerry CepposOliver PlattFred WeilMichael SheenCoral BacaPaz Vega"Freeway" Ricky RossMichael Kenneth WilliamsAnna SimonsMary Elizabeth WinsteadNorwin MenesesAndy Garcia

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Crew

rolenameDirectorMichael Cuesta

Details

Theatrical distributor

Universal

Released on

2015-03-06

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing, drug abuse, drug references.

Available on

DVD

Formats

Colour

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