By Alan J. Pakula. That is the name that springs to mind when you think of exciting thrillers about newspaper reporters. Why? Because he’s the director responsible for not only the granddaddy of the genre, All The President’s Men, but the likes of The Pelican Brief and The Parallax View as well.
His ability to balance an unsettling, paranoid atmosphere with slow-burn character study in films whose stories naturally lent themselves to dramatic tension helped distinguish a career that also included the critically-acclaimed Klute (1971), Sophie’s Choice (1982), and Presumed Innocent (1990).
The best movies about newspaper reporters have often been brought to life by their chief protagonists – determined journalists seeking the truth and being thwarted at every turn – and thus offered filmmakers like Pakula the chance to put audiences on the edge of their seats.
Thrilling movies about newspaper reporters
Julia Roberts in Alan J. Pakula’s The Pelican Brief (1993).
We take a look at some of the most thrilling films featuring newspaper reporters from real-life heroes like Veronica Guerin (When The Sky Falls, Veronica Guerin) and Woodward & Bernstein (All The President’s Men) to fictional newspaper men and women like Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief) and Megan Carter (Sally Field in Absence of Malice).
10. When The Sky Falls
Dir. Mackenzie (2000)
From the director of The Long Good Friday, When the Sky Falls takes its inspiration from the tragic true story of Irish newspaper reporter Veronica Guerin who was killed after exposing drug barons operating in Ireland.
Director John Mackenzie tackles the story with the gritty realism he’s recognised for, focusing on both an investigative journalist’s pursuit of the gang leaders and the police’s struggle to build a credible case against those at the top of the criminal underworld.
9. Veronica Guerin
Dir. Schumacher (2003)
Cate Blanchett’s strong performance is a central part of biographical film Veronica Guerin’s successful retelling of one woman’s determination to destroy the illegal drug trade in Ireland.
Joel Schumacher directs this compelling drama about Guerin’s investigative journalism over the course of two years. Beginning with her assassination, the film flashes back to the devoted and courageous reporter’s determination to shed light on the perpetrators behind Dublin’s increasing drug problem.
8. The Parallax View
Dir. Pakula (1974)
Based on the 1970 novel by Loren Singer, you can see why director Alan J. Pakula was inspired to bring this compelling tale of reporter’s investigation into a secretive organisation to the screen thanks to its focus on one of his favourite types of character: a journalist caught up in a mystery against the backdrop of paranoia, conspiracies and cloak and dagger politics.
7. The Pelican Brief
Dir. Pakula (1993)
The ideal writer-director match sees legal thriller novelist John Grisham provide the source material for All The President’s Men filmmaker Alan J. Pakula. Hollywood heavyweights Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington as legal student and Washington Herald reporter respectively get together to solve a conspiracy involving the murders of two Supreme Court justices.
6. Absence Of Malice
Dir. Pollack (1981)
Absence of Malice (1981) | (c) Columbia
While many of the great movies about newspaper journalism champion the role of the reporter in uncovering scandal, corruption, criminal activity and speaking truth to power, Absence of Malice refreshingly turns that on its head to unveil the inherent weakness in news reporting when the need to sell papers and appease the demands of advertisers makes truth a secondary concern.
Bolstered by two powerhouse performances from leads Sally Field and Paul Newman, Sydney Pollack’s antidote to the journalist gallantry seen in All The President’s Men, also features one of Melinda Dillon’s best appearances in a support role of a woman who becomes an important witness in reporter Megan Carter’s story about mafia-connected Michael Gallagher’s role in the murder of a union official.
5. State Of Play
Dir. Macdonald (2009)
Director Kevin Macdonald keeps the tension high in State of Play, a film about journalists at the fictional Washington Globe uncovering corruption and politically motivated murder involving a US Congressman and his investigation into private defence contracts.
The film features one of Russell Crowe’s best performances as a dishevelled newspaper veteran who takes eager young reporter Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) under his wing as the pair risk their lives in an attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery. State of Play will keep you guessing – and on the edge of your seat – until the very end.
4. Zodiac
Dir. Fincher (2007)
Detailing the true story of the Zodiac murders in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s from the perspective of a political cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) who becomes obsessed with the case, David Fincher’s film, thanks in part to the director’s extensive research, makes for compelling viewing. If you like Seven or Silence of the Lambs, you’ll like this one.
3. The Post
Dir. Spielberg (2017)
Released in 2017, Steven Spielberg’s film about The Washington Post’s attempts to publish revelations from The Pentagon Papers is ostensibly a historical drama but draws a sense of timely unease given comparisons between the corrupt Nixon administration and the Presidential career of Donald Trump.
Continuing the director’s collaboration with ace cinematographer Janusz Kamiński (which began with Schindler’s List in 1993), The Post’s 1971 setting comes to vivid life with an almost dreamlike quality. Certainly, it’s a technical tour de force as Spielberg showcases the wonderful production design with a restrained approach, often using long single takes, and some admirable dolly and tracking shots.
The director also knows his cast (which includes brilliant performances from Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk and Tracy Letts) can handle a slow, dramatic move into close-up.
One of the stand out scenes highlights Streep’s genius. She turns a phone call about greenlighting The Washington Post’s sensational government expose into an astonishingly dramatic moment. Perfectly timing her line after a tension-building silence, we see a nervous biting of the lip, her glazed eyes illuminated by lamplight.
In a story built around board tables, typewriters, and late-night conversations about legality and lawsuits, The Post’s greatest accomplishment is in its appearance of simplicity. This isn’t one of Spielberg’s great swashbuckling adventures but in its own way it’s just as thrilling.
2. Spotlight
Dir. McCarthy (2015)
Spotlight focuses on a team of investigative journalists from The Boston Globe who unearth evidence of systemic child sex abuse by priests of the Catholic Church. Loosely inspired by a series of stories published by the Spotlight team which earned the newspaper the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, the film is a taut, tense drama with excellent performances from Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo.
It builds its thrills through the journalists’ attempts to get through red tape and legal hurdles, alleviate witness fears to record testimony, and overcome the widespread, powerful church influence that’s built a wall of silence to hide its tracks, in order to publish a damning report into institutional crime.
1. All The President’s Men
Dir. Pakula (1976)
A film that continues to resonate culturally, politically and socially today, this true story of Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) uncovering the Watergate Scandal is a wonderful example of the beneficial role of news media, the courage of journalists to put everything on the line for the truth, and the importance to question those in authority, especially those charged with running the country. All The President’s Men is even more successful thanks to Redford teaming with Hoffman, two of Hollywood’s greatest actors in tandem.
If you enjoyed our look at the most thrilling films about newspaper reporters, you may also like:
10 Great Films About Investigative Journalism, Ranked
Independent journalism is critical to a functioning democracy and a fair society. These movies showcase determined reporters seeking the truth for the public good.
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