All the President's Men

Year of Release:  1976
Director:  Alan J. Pakula
Screenplay:  William Goldman, based on the book All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
Starring:  Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards
Running Time:  138 minutes
Genre:  Political thriller, drama

This film tells the story of the investigation into the infamous Watergate scandal, in which five men burgled the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex in Washington DC, and the subsequent cover-up by then President Richard Nixon.  The film focuses on the investigation into the scandal by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Hoffman), and is based on the non-fiction book they subsequently wrote.

The film is one of the classic films about journalism.  The film contrasts the brightly lit, open plan offices of the Washington Post where characters are constantly in motion, followed by a constantly roving camera, with shadowy with shadowy, dimly lit homes, offices, and the underground garages where Woodward meets his mysterious informant (Holbrook).  This is about the day to day business of journalism, days spent on the phone and knocking on doors, desperately searching for anyone who will talk to them, pouring over reams of documents for scraps of information or verification.  This all could seem quite dry, and confusing, but as scripted by William Goldman, and directed by Alan Pakula, who made several political thrillers during the 1970s, it is quite gripping and fairly easy to follow, even if you are not particularly familiar with the case.  The story keeps moving along, with committed performances from the cast and a wealth of background detail.  In the scenes in the Post offices, both the foreground and the background are kept in focus. 
The film was released just a couple of years after the Watergate scandal concluded and so most of the original audience would probably have been aware of the case, but now it is kind of a historical case, even though it was one of the major American political scandals and one of the key events of the 1970s, although by today's standards it all seems rather quaint.

Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in All the President's Men

The Sting

Year of Release:  1973
Director:  George Roy Hill
Screenplay:  David S. Ward
Starring:  Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw
Running Time:  129 minutes
Genre:  Crime, thriller,

Chicago, 1936:  Johnny Hooker (Redford) is a small time crook who joins forces with veteran con man Henry Gondorff (Newman) to scam a wealthy and powerful Mob boss (Shaw) with an elaborate con, as revenge for his ordering the death of their friend.  However, as the plan progresses it becomes apparent that the police, FBI and a hired killer are closing in on the pair.

This is probably the best film made about con men and, as with all movies in this genre, the scammers are charismatic, loveable rogues (instead of the sleazy slimeballs they really are) conning a wealthy villain who is worse than they are and deserves what he gets (instead of ordinary innocent people) and the pleasure comes in seeing how the plan is laid and put into operation like an elaborate house of cards where one wrong move could send it crashing down (here the various stages of the con are set out in chapters headed by title cards written and illustrated in the style of Norman Rockwell and The Saturday Evening Post) .  Reuniting stars Redford and Newman with their Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid director Hill, this is one of those classic Hollywood films, reveling in rich period detail.  Photographed in rich, vibrant colour where Newman's eyes have never looked so piercingly blue, and Redford's hair never so golden.  Redford and Newman have genuine chemistry together and the film coasts along on their considerable charisma.  Robert Shaw is good as the urbane but mercurial gangster, who is the target of the con.  The soundtrack consists of variations of ragtime music arranged by Marvin Hamlisch, most notably "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin, which became a top ten hit on the back of this movie.  The script is witty, clever and packed with twists and turns.  This film is pure classy entertainment from beginning to end.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford in The Sting