Spotlight is the name of The Boston Globe’s investigative journalist team who uncovered a child sex abuse story in the Boston area that turned out to be a much bigger “cottage industry” involving a number of Roman Catholic Priests which spanned decades.

This film is based on the true events that follows the Spotlight team as they painstakingly gather evidence and interview victims, some of who have horrific stories and allogations dating back as far as the mid 1970’s.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Spotlight have an office in the belly of the Boston Globe’s building, actually it’s more of a basement. The team is managed by ‘old school’ journalist Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson, played with a laidback confidence by Michael Keaton who seems to get better with age. It's nice to see Keaton enjoying his reignited career thanks to Alejandro G. Iñárritu casting him in the lead role in the Oscar winning Birdman.

He is aided by tenacious Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), the ‘wired terrier’ Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) and the calm Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James).

The catalyst that sets off the chain of events is the introduction of The Boston Globe’s new editor Marty Baron (Liv Schreiber). Baron is viewed with some trepidation by the staff, with him being a baseball hating Jew in a largely Catholic community.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Liv Schreiber as new Editor Marty Baron
But Baron is no fool and knows his stuff. At a news journalist meeting he asks why nobody bothered to follow up a column that was written about sexual abuse against children by a local Catholic Priest John Geoghan and a suspected cover up by a certain well respected and powerful Cardinal Bernard Law.

The Spotlight team are told to drop whatever story they are working on to pursue this lead. They also have the backing of special projects editor Ben Bradlee Jr. (The reliable John Slattery). There film also boasts a number of other supporting actors that put in a fine performance such as
(Lovely Bones 2009 and all 3 The Hunger Games) as civil litigator Mitchell Garabedian. Who finally concedes to Mark Ruffalo’s character Rezendes who just won’t take no for an answer as he badgers Garabedian for information on some of the priest’s victims.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Stanley Tucci
There is also a fine performance from Billy Crudup (Dr Manhattan in Watchmen 2009, Almost Famous 2000) as the slimy attorney who was responsible for many ‘secret settlements’ for victims, which may have been seen as aiding the cover up?

Director Tom McCarthy who also wrote the script together with Josh Singer (The West Wing 1999) shows the reporters as normal people just doing their job and adds some realism to the movie. There are little moments like Rezendes pen running out of ink, while talking to a prize witness on the phone as he tries to find a pen that works while his source continues talking.

In fact it’s Rezendes played by Ruffalo who really drives the film with his hyperactive body language and one particular scene when he has an unexpected outburst against his boss Robinson (Keaton) in front of the others. You could have heard a pin drop in the cinema!

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Even though the Spotlight team go about their normal day of interviews and research McCarthy makes the whole event dramatic and the audience are hooked in.

What really makes the film scary is that this is a true story.

True stories are what the public like, because things that happen to people in these movies could happen to you and I.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Spotlight has been nominated in this year’s Oscar for Best Picture. Plus Mark Ruffalo nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Rachel McAdams nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

I realised that there are at least eight films nominated for Oscars that are based on true events or true people.

Spotlight
Bridge of Spies
The Revenant
Trumbo
The Danish Girl
The Big Short
Steve Jobs
Joy

Spotlight is a great acting showcase with a superb cast and it’s always good to see Michael Keaton back in dramatic roles. He’s been away too long.

The film is bound to be compared to All the President’s Men (1976) But this also put me in mind of all those intelligent thought provoking and conspiracy movies of the seventies, such as:

Chinatown (74), Three Days of the Condor (75), The Parallax View (74), Serpico (73) and Capricorn One (1977).

Also not forgetting comparisons to the more recent Zodiac (2007) starring Mark Ruffalo. Which segues nicely back to Spotlight.

Possibly my tip for Best Picture.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

In cinemas now

Spotlight trailer