All The President's Men

"All The President's Men" is a book-turned-movie about President Nixon and his cover-up at the Watergate hotel in Washington DC. The story follows two reporters, Carl Bernstien, and Bob Woodward working for the Washington Post, and their conquest to get the story in the news. There were more than 400 other stories about related incidents, so the two reporters shouldn't have had trouble getting sources, but no one was complying with their questions. However, an informant named 'Deep Throat', thought to be someone near the top of the government food chain, did comply. He didn't give them direct answers, but he let the reporters know they were on the right track. In 2005, 'Deep Throat' was revealed as then-FBI Associate Director W. Mark Felt.

The Watergate scandal was about Nixon illegally gaining information about the Democratic party, using tactics such as breaking into the hotel in which the party's meetings were held, and usage of wiretapping.

The movie was originally the idea of Robert Redford, who plays Bob Woodward in the movie, Redford had been following the stories of the scandal, and he'd read the book as well. He contacted the film's producer Alan J. Pakula, bought movie rights, and decided to go forward with the plan. In doing so, they enlisted the help of some of the actual people who were there at the time, such as other reporters on the Post staff.

I liked the movie. It provided insight on a situation in our history which I didn't know much about, and it also let me look more deeply into what goes on in actual journalism, and how much side-work you have to do. One lesson though; in most cases (this one not an exception), the side work does pay off. For the reporters, their work payed off with Nixon's resignation before he could be impeached.

Even if this story had been one of fiction, the movie was still good. It's a situation that could be plausible, (hey look at the Bush administration) and both Hoffman, and Redford played their characters well, as did the others. I would recommend this movie for someone who is trying to get insight into Watergate, and the secrets of Nixon's cover up, but also for someone who is looking for a good, classic drama.