Scott Z. Burns makes his feature directorial debut with this harrowing political drama as Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, and his team attempt to investigate the CIA and their actions following 9/11. “The Report” spans across an entire decade and covers the lengthy investigation into the CIA and their actions against detainees after 9/11.
Daniel J. Jones (portrayed by Adam Driver) is tasked by his boss, Senator Dianne Feinstein, to gather a team and helm an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation program that began in the aftermath of 9/11. The program used "enhanced interrogation techniques", developed by psychologists Bruce Jessen (T. Ryder Smith) and James Elmer Mitchell (Douglas Hodge) who reverse-engineered military tactics to be used on detainees. As Jones and his team delve deeper into the actions of the CIA, he confronts the dark truth about the CIA's actions, and the lengths the agency was willing to go to, to hide them. The report soon spans over 6000 pages, and people soon begin to take issue with its publication, especially the CIA director at the time, John Brennan (Ted Levine). What ensues is a messy, complex fight as Jones and his team, alongside Senator Feinstein, fight to get the report released.
Adam Driver shines in the lead role as Daniel J. Jones, delivering an assured performance that superbly leads “The Report”. The Oscar nominee skillfully presents Jones as the determined man he is and the emotions felt during the investigation. Driver leads a cast that all give convincing performances, including Annette Bening's strong performance as Senator Dianne Feinstein. Two of the most unsettling performances come from Douglas Hodge and T. Ryder Smith’s portrayals of James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, the psychologists who created the lethal interrogation methods used in the program.
“The Report” is a stellar directing debut from writer and director Scott Z. Burns. The BAFTA nominee crafts a sober, gripping film that brings one of the darkest periods in American history to the big screen. Burns’ ability to make the films he works on feel rooted in real-life, as seen with “Contagion”, is seen throughout the film. From the use of archive footage of politicians to the scarily realistic depictions of torture shown through uncomfortable close-ups. While “The Report” is a strong directorial debut that covers its dark and intense subject matter well, the extent of the investigation translates into the film feeling dialogue heavy and almost weighed down by its dialogue. The amount of information passed on to the audience leaves the film feeling like you have to pay close attention to every scene and every word uttered from the character's mouths. Nonetheless, Burns’ film is incredibly informative, and gives audiences an insight into this chapter of American history without feeling overly tiresome or lifeless.
Scott Z Burns directs an intense, eye-opening political drama that effectively showcases one man’s struggles as he and his team try to hold the CIA accountable for their actions in the face of harrowing discoveries and persistent pushbacks. A 26-day shoot on an $8 million budget (cut down from the original 50 days and $18 million) doesn’t prevent “The Report” from being a gripping retelling of past events that efficiently puts a decade's worth of events into a nearly two-hour runtime.