# All the President's Men (1976)

### reviewed by
John Lee

    All the Presidentís Men, 1976

     by John Lee

Itís not easy to make a gripping movie about politics but All the Presidentís Men relies for its suspense on the chase of investigative journalism rather than on the politicians themselves. Nixon and other key players of the Watergate farce are kept in the background on strategically placed T.V. screens and in the headlines of not-so-casually-placed newspapers. The real drama in All the Presidentís Men is in how Bob Woodward (played as an earnest newsroom virgin by Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (the only slightly more worldly Dustin Hofmann) hang on to the story, ìpursue the money,î and eventually uncover the web of lies that brings down the presidency. On one level, Alan J. Pakulaís movie operates like a how-to, and sometimes a how-not-to, guide for investigative journalists. Our two heroes meet when Woodward catches Bernstein ìimprovingî - or is it just stealing? - his early report on the arrest of the Watergate burglars. Establishing himself as the voice of reason, Woodward agrees that Bernsteinís re-write has improved the piece. The partnership is formed, and the two are assigned to cover the case full-time. Following their own hunches about snatched facts that just donít add up, they start to dig into why the burglars seem to have ever higher links to members of the Republican Party and, eventually, to the White House. The task of uncovering the intrigue is laborious (days spent checking library records and searching personnel lists, for example), but we know Woodward and Bernstein are on to something big, so even the most mundane phone call is made exciting because it might provide the next part of the puzzle. These cold calls are presented as a major tool of the investigative reporter, although most of the people called by Woodward and Bernstein seem to be remarkably poor liars. Most stutter monotone denials that would raise the suspicions of the least experienced hack. And the White House librarian who denies even talking to Bernstein five minutes after their telephone conversation, wouldnít pass a lie detector test on any question. Although both reporters are remarkably persistent, itís their different approaches to sources - like the good cop/bad cop routine - that gains them most ground in their investigation. Woodward doesnít like sources to think heís pushing them too far but his passive approach often lulls them to go further than they intended. The secretary in his newsroom, for example, quietly places some vital information on his desk after he has apologised for even suggesting that she might procure it. In contrast, Bernstein flirts and cajoles information out of potential female sources, tricks his way past a secretary, and calls people for information late at night when they are relaxed and out of the office: a well-used tool of the investigative reporter. The two are also helped in their investigation by the ìcharacter that knows too much,î played by Hal Holbrook, who meets Woodward in the shadows of an underground car lot. Although based on a real person, heís an unsatisfying presence in the movie, and too much of a cliche, to add to the suspense of the story. Ben Bradlee, the editor of The Washington Post, in an Oscar-winning performance by Jason Robards, offers much more convincing support. Although Robards overplays the omnipotent know-it-all, his character is important in the story - and particularly to those movie-watchers who might be interested in trying investigate reporting for themselves. Heís not swayed by the story until the evidence uncovered starts to become overwhelming. In the chase for dirt, he never loses sight of the need for corroboration. If Woodward and Bernstein find two sources, he demands three. His mantra - ìcold, hard factsî - becomes the key to the success of the investigation, and particularly influences Woodward.

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