From “All the President’s Men” to “Good Night and Good Luck,”
there have been any number of films devoted to telling the true-life tales of
the journalists devoted to uncovering stories of corruption, abuse of power,
and hidden scandals. The involving but formulaic “Kill the Messenger” continues
in that tradition, focusing on Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner), an investigative
reporter for the San Jose Mercury newspaper, who in the mid-90’s stumbled
across a connection between the CIA and the influx of crack cocaine in America.
However, the film deviates from the standard formula by devoting as much time
to Webb’s investigation as it does to the tragic fallout from his journalistic
crusade.
While working on a story about the government seizing the
property of drug dealers who have yet to be convicted, Webb is approached by
the comely Coral (Paz Vega), girlfriend of one of those very drug dealers, who
bats her eyes and conveniently offers him grand jury documents which seem to
prove that a big-time cocaine dealer is actually working for the U.S.
government. Further digging leads him to discovering a monumental plot
involving the government using the sale of drugs in America to fund the
Nicaraguan Contra rebels fighting against communism in their country after
congress had refused to finance their war.
Ignoring the perpetually furrowed brow of his editor (played
by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who attempts to dissuade
Webb from following the story any further, he pays no heed to her warnings that
a medium-sized paper like theirs may be reaching above their station and
entering territory claimed by big guns like The New York Times and The
Washington Post. “We don’t do international,” she explains, but naturally, he
continues on his path.
Typically, this type of film ends in triumph, with the
publishing of an article that blows the doors off a massive story, exposing corruption
and setting the stage for justice to be done. Instead, the spotlight is turned
on Webb himself, as holes are poked in his story and his credibility called
into question. Outside forces systematically shut Webb down until he’s
completely discredited and his livelihood all but destroyed — leading to the
film’s not-so-subtle title. Most intriguingly, the film implies that wounded
pride on the part of other newspapers played a large role in the journalist’s
fate, as they contributed heavily to Webb’s fall from grace.
Especially in its first half, the script (credited to Peter Landesman and based on a book by Nick Schou,
as well as Webb’s own book, “Dark Alliance”) sticks to formula, but director
Michael Cuesta always keeps things compelling as we follow the investigation,
uncovering the plot along with Webb and keeping us invested in his fate. This
is a story that’s clearly worth telling, but the reliance on domestic drama is
disappointing — how many times must we see the same old subplot in which a wife
demands that her husband stop his noble pursuit because of what it’s putting
their family through. Rosemarie DeWitt valiantly tries to do what she can with
the wan material she’s given, but dramatic embellishments like this make one
wish for a documentary covering the same subject. Still, Renner gives a great
performance.
Recently, the actor has appeared largely in action
blockbusters like “The Avengers” and “The Bourne Legacy,” but with a real
character to sink his teeth into, he delivers his best performance since his
Oscar-nominated turn in “The Hurt Locker.”
“Kill the Messenger” functions foremost as another
outrage-inducing reminder of the more sinister reasons that true journalism is
all but extinct in this country, though whether those reasons are any less
scary and depressing than simple journalistic laziness is up for debate.
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2014.
