Review – The Pentagon Papers

This made-for-cable version of Daniel Ellsberg’s biography indulges in just about every possible Vietnam-related cliché. Ellsberg (James Spader) starts as a pro-Domino-Theory enfant terrible working for the Rand Corporation. But personal experience with the horrors of war and lies spun by the Departments of Defense and State thrust him into the hippie camp, motivating him to leak the notorious Pentagon Papers. Once the papers hit newsrooms and the fecal matter hits the air circulation device, the story gets interesting. Sadly, that’s the last half hour of an otherwise dull repetition of A Bright Shining Lie, Path to War and every other disillusioned-with-Vietnam movie ever made. Mildly amusing