AllMovie

James Vanderbilt wrote and directed this docudrama about the controversial 60 Minutes exposé on then-president George W. Bush's military service that aired just before the 2004 election. Cate Blanchett stars as Mary Mapes, the producer of CBS's newsmagazine series 60 Minutes, which was anchored at the time by the legendary Dan Rather (Robert Redford). Mapes gets a tip from a new source who claims to possess explosive documents proving that Bush received privileged treatment in the National Guard to avoid service in the Vietnam War. After the documents are presented to the American people, a whirlwind of controversy about the their veracity pits Mapes and Rather in a battle for their journalistic lives. Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, and Elizabeth Moss co-star in this ensemble journalistic thriller.