Digging too deep: A journalist�s worst nightmare
Bakang Israel | Friday March 6, 2015 12:43
This a 2014 American crime thriller based on the book of the same title by Nick Schou and the book Dark Alliance by Gary Webb.
In this thriller we see action man Jeremy Renner play a slower role as Gary Webb, an investigative reporter for a small time newspaper.
This is a new role considering that we are used to him as an action figure in box office sensations like Avengers, Hurt Locker and Bourne Legacy.
Other supporting cast members for this biography/true story are Paz Vega as Coral Bac the source/informer/snitch, whilst Robert Patrick (Ronald J. Quail) is one of the convicted druglords, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Anna Simons) controls Gary as his boss/editor.
Michael Cuesta directs the movie. Kill The Messenger gives one great viewing pleasure because of a number of things that make it relevant, relatable and authentic in plot.
Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb. The film takes place in the mid 1990s, when Webb uncovered the CIA’s past role in importing huge amounts of cocaine into the US, which was aggressively sold in ghettos across the country to raise money for the Nicaraguan Contras rebel army. Despite enormous pressure not to, Webb chose to pursue the story and went public with his evidence, publishing the series Dark Alliance. As a result he experienced a vicious smear campaign fuelled by the CIA. At that point Webb found himself defending his integrity, his family and his life.
The movie follows the life of a small-time newspaper journalist, who discovers a major scoop, which implicates government superiors. What is amazing about the story line is the fact that it depicts real life scenarios of how media is treated.
The movie has a great chain reaction from drug cartels working for governments, a journalist who will stop at nothing to expose the rot and a government organisation stuck in the deep end of things.
There are scenes where the hotly targeted journalist Gary Webb was being followed from the airport, and a stranger messing with his car in the middle of the night, making this thriller an enjoyable view.
Another great thing about this film is that it showcases the power of Intelligence organisations. After spilling the beans on the crime syndicate, the small town newspaper journalist’s sources start to vanish into thin air to make it seem as if all allegations are not true.
Kill The Messenger is 2015’s testament of why drama films nominated frequently for the Academy Awards win Best Picture.
The film’s cinematography was made to resemble the actual time when the events of this true story occurred, which was in the mid 1990s.
An interesting quote from the movie, is when a CIA agent warns the San-Hose Mercury News writer not to dwell on the scoop: “You are getting into sensitive areas, compromising operations.” Gary’s public speech response: “I thought my job was to tell the public the truth, the facts; pretty or not, and let the publishing of those facts make a difference in how people look at things, at themselves, and what they stand for...” Despite being an intriguing film Kill The Messenger generated only $1 million from opening weekend sales back in October 2014 and grossed a total of $2.5 million.
Here are this week’s current top five hot movies at the box office. 1.Focus (2015) 2.Kingsman: The Secret Service Fox 3.The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 4.Fifty Shades of Grey 5.The Lazarus Effect Apart from disastrous box office, Kill The Messenger deserves a whooping 9/10 rating because the movie tackles a subject of great importance.
Movie: Kill The MessengerGenre: Crime, Biography, DramaDirector: Michael CuestaMain Cast: Jeremy Renner as (Gary Webb), Robert Patrick (Ronald J. Quail), Paz Vega as (Coral Bac), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Anna Simons) and Rosemarie DeWitt (Sue Webb)