From David Fincher to George Clooney: The 10 best movies about investigative journalism
When done objectively, investigative journalism is a force for good. Helping society to uncover untruths and expose wrongdoings, since journalism became a discipline, it has seen some of the most egregious conspiracies and abuses of power be brought into the light and, in some cases, make the world a better place for it. From the works of well-regarded publications to those of lone journalists battling against the odds, without it and the courage of those willing to lose everything in the name of the good, perhaps our society would be a less democratic place than it is.
Unsurprisingly then, over the years, many movies have been made about investigative journalism, whether fictionalised accounts of real stories or genuine tales. Some of the most compelling feature-length titles fit into this category, boasting career-defining performances and projects that rank among a director’s best. Two fine examples are All the President’s Men, which follows the two journalists investigating the Watergate scandal and Zodiac, which is also based on a real-life occurrence – the unsolved murders of The Zodiac Killer.
The investigative journalist flick will keep us interested until democracy is no more. Topical, fascinating and quite often stirring, they are titles that we all should see, whether in the fiction or non-fiction format. Providing heaps of entertainment and pause for thought, there’s no surprise that many directors have tried their hand at the genre.
In some ways. these films honour the work that spawned them; they are the final stylised article on the subject at hand. Without further ado, join us as we list the ten best films about investigative journalism.
The 10 best films about investigative journalism:
10. Shattered Glass (Billy Ray, 2003)
There is nowhere better to kick off than with an investigative journalism film about a real-life scandal. Billy Ray’s 2003 effort, Shattered Glass, remains one of the best in the genre due to its visceral retelling of The New Republic journalist Stephen Glass’ hard fall from grace. Notoriously, Glass was discovered to have fabricated over half of his stories for the publication. This came at a tremendous personal cost for Glass which saw him change career.
Based on the 1998 Vanity Fair article of the same name by H.G. Bissinger, what makes this movie so great is that the subject matter was by a journalist about another journalist, imbuing it with genuine authenticity. Starring Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard and Chloë Sevigny, this flick has something for everyone. The story is irresistible.
9. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005)
People often forget that George Clooney is a very adept director, alongside his undoubted skill as an actor. Another movie based on true events, Good Night, and Good Luck, was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and provides a gripping rendition of the conflict between veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow and vehemently anti-communist US senator Joseph McCarthy, the man behind the paranoid ‘Red Scare’. Their tussle centres on McCarthy’s quest to root out communist elements from American society, which Murrow and his team deemed a witch hunt.
Starring Clooney, David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella, the film is noted for its monochrome aesthetic and how it focuses on the media’s responsibility to being objective, as well as touching on what occurs when US media dissents from government policy. In a testament to the late Murrow, the flick takes its title from the line he would regularly sign off his broadcasts with. It’s one of those movies that will always retain pertinence.
8. Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014)
Although Nightcrawler is a fictional movie, its themes are vital, based on practices that occur in real life. Ostensibly a neo-noir psychological thriller from the mind of writer and director Dan Gilroy in his debut, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, a stringer who records violent events from late-night Los Angeles and markets them to his local news station. Also starring Rene Russo, Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed, Nightcrawler touches on how consumer demand is linked to unethical journalism.
The story goes that Gilroy initially intended to make a picture about the life and times of famed American photographer ‘Weegee’, but changed his mind after discovering the narrative possibilities of a movie about being a stringer. Lou was then written as an antihero and a symptom of unfettered capitalism. Duly, Nightcrawler is one of the most thought-provoking entries on this list.
7. The Post (Steven Spielberg, 2017)
Another one that makes you think; Steven Spielberg’s The Post is by far one of his better offerings, containing much more pulp than some of his best-known blockbusters. Starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, it is a semi-fictional political thriller based on The Washington Post and the Pentagon Papers, the incendiary history of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam. Elsewhere in the cast are the likes of Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk and Tracy Letts.
Set in 1971, it follows the true story of journalists at The Washington Post, attempting to get the classified Pentagon Papers published, as they detail the country’s involvement in southeast Asia dating back to the 1940s, and why they were there for so long. Another picture that sheds light on the US government’s historical subterfuge, the truth is so juicy. It makes you wonder what other secrets The White House and Pentagon have hidden.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher, 2011)
Whilst David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was not the first feature-length adaptation of the first Millennium series novel, with the Swedish films all excellent, Fincher’s has to take the top spot. It is so well made. Although a fictional entry, it is another steeped in reality, with the late Larsson a journalist and researcher of the extreme right alongside being an author.
The film stars Daniel Craig as investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, the eponymous hacker with the pronounced dragon tattoo. It follows Blomkvist as he searches for the truth about the disappearance of a girl from a wealthy family 40 years prior. Murder, abuse and dedication to the truth are three main themes here, making it a must-watch.
5. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015)
Another semi-biographical entry, Spotlight, is an incredible testament to the significant changes journalism can make to society and how often it can offer aid when law enforcement can’t. The movie follows the ‘Spotlight’ team at The Boston Globe – the oldest operating unit of investigative journalists at a newspaper in the US – as they delve into claims of systemic child sex abuse in the area by Catholic priests.
Whilst the plot is original, it is loosely based on a series of stories by the Spotlight team that earned The Boston Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Compelling and deeply moving, the profound themes are brought to life by a cast boasting Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci and more. It toes the line between fact and fiction perfectly.
4. She Said (Maria Schrader, 2022)
Not only is She Said one of the best investigative journalist movies out there, but it’s also one of the most crucial titles released in the past two years. Based on the 2019 book of the same name by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, it follows the pair and their investigation for the New York Times that eventually exposed movie mogul and sex offender, Harvey Weinstein.
Starring the likes of Carey Mulligan, Zoey Kazan, Patricia Clarkson and Samantha Morton, the real pertinence of the movie is made immediately apparent when it opens in 2017, with Kantor receiving a tip that actor Rose McGowan was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. What ensues might be a hard watch, but it’s powerful and necessary for the broader #MeToo movement not to feel afraid to speak out against such heinous abuses of power and violence.
3. The Parallax View (Alan J. Pakula, 1974)
The Parallax View is one of the greatest thrillers of all time. Perhaps the best onscreen performance of Warren Beatty and directed by Alan J. Pakula as the second instalment of his era-defining ‘Paranoia Trilogy’, it never fails to impress. With ample political intrigue, heart-in-the-mouth action sequences and an iconic montage, whilst it is a fictional story, it plays into the concerns of many who believed the US was under the control of a secretive cabal at the time.
Based on the 1970 novel by Loren Singer, it follows Beatty’s investigative reporter Joe Frady as he slowly unravels the secretive Parallax Corporation, which is behind a series of political assassinations. In one part referencing the JFK assassination, and in another a discussion of the vested interests that dictate US politics, this one gets the mind racing.
2. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
Another of David Fincher’s better films, Zodiac, is a mystery thriller based on the non-fiction books Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked by the true crime author Robert Graysmith. Another title with an ensemble cast, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr and Chloë Sevigny appear for the second time in the list.
Zodiac follows the search for The Zodiac Killer, the serial murderer who emerged in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960 and early 1970s. Noted for taunting the police with letters, cyphers and bloodstained clothing mailed to newspapers, the horror of the crimes portrayed in the movie makes the skin crawl because they were very much real.
A title that piques the interest of anyone with a penchant for the arcane and true crime; Fincher, screenwriter James Vanderbilt and producer Bradley J. Fischer even conducted their own 18-month investigation into it when writing. It is a chilling account of one of America’s most confounding unsolved mysteries.
1. All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
When it comes to movies about investigative journalism, there was only ever going to be one winner. The second time Alan J. Pakula features on the list, and the third instalment of his ‘Paranoia Trilogy’, All the President’s Men set the bar for films of this category. A biographical drama-cum-thriller about the most significant American political scandal – Watergate – it is based on the 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists who investigated it for The Washington Post.
The film stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, respectively, thus creating one of the most iconic on-screen duos that audiences have ever seen. A culturally essential affair that remains so despite the historical subject matter, the heroics of Bernstein and Woodward are depicted adroitly here. Their dedication to exposing the truth in the face of unrelenting and nefarious power is something that should never be forgotten. A momentous point in history brought to life in the best of ways; this was investigative journalism at its finest.
