San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Webb published a series of articles entitled “Dark Alliance,” about the CIA’s involvement in cocaine importation into the United States in 1996. Webb was initially hailed as a hero for the story, but the backlash was enough to ruin his career.
The true story is told in the film “Kill the Messenger,” starring Jeremy Renner as Webb, and directed by Michael Cuesta.
The movie is excellent. The entire cast is strong, but Jeremy Renner’s performance as Webb is particularly memorable. Renner really sinks his teeth into the leading role and gives the character a lot of depth, allowing Webb’s imperfections and strengths to show in equal parts.
The supporting cast is also very strong. Rosemarie DeWitt as Sue Webb, Gary’s wife, is great. Sue Webb suffers her husband’s somewhat haphazard lifestyle with relative grace, but eventually has to put her foot down. DeWitt comes off as strong and reasonable in a role that could easily have turned villainous.
Another highlight of the supporting cast is Mary Elizabeth Winstead who plays Webb’s editor, Anna Simons. She very accurately portrays the struggle of managing writers, pitching higher-ups and trying to mitigate damage when Webb’s story goes south. The conflict in her expression when things start going bad is heart wrenching to watch.
One of the most striking moments in the movie is when Webb is named the 1996 Journalist of the Year by the Bay Area Society of Professional Journalists. What should have been a victory lap turns into a crushing defeat.
Any small narrative lapses in the film are far outweighed by the remarkable overarching story line. Director Michael Cuesta does a good job keeping the pacing of the movie from sagging, and – quite remarkably – creates a sense of unease beginning as soon as the story is published and persisting through the end of the film.
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“Kill the Messenger” is playing at a limited number of theaters in the Sacramento area, including:
The Tower Theatre
Century Stadium 14 near Howe and Arden
Century Laguna 16 in Elk Grove
the Davis Varsity Theatre
UA Olympus Pointe 12 in Roseville.
