INSIDE THE BELTWAY (James Somerton of Nova Scotia, Canada) 

Picture
Directed By: Curtis Hanson
Written By: Aaron Sorkin 
Crew:Produced By: Ezra Swerdlow
Edited By: Jonathan Olive
Cinematography By: Rodrigo Prieto  

Cast:
Andrew Garfield as David Cranbrook 
Robin Williams as Michael Jennings
Rachel Griffiths as Clarissa Porter 
William Hurt as Jeff Rollins 
Frank Langella as Doc Bloomfield 
Robin Wright as Kim Dodge 

Tagline: "Control The Media. Control The World."

Synopsis: November is approaching and, along with it, comes the presidential election. The media is falling over itself to find the latest bit of news about one, or both, of the candidates. Washington is a circus and the White House is the centre ring. But a new face has arrived in the news rooms of the nation's capitol. But he's not looking for the latest story or the slickest spin, he's looking for the truth.

David Cranbrook is a recent graduate of NYU and he's found himself in some pretty nasty waters. He's reporting for an independent online news agency that is trying to compete with the big boys. He's a virgin to the political arena and is finding himself falling victim to an onslaught of attacks from the Right Wing media giant, NewsWire, and it's star anchor Jeff Rollins. But he's not letting it phase him. He's going to find the truth no matter what.

Two years earlier, David Cranbrook was a journalism student and top of his class. His favourite professor, and altogether mentor was Doc Bloomfield, a journalist of the old school. But they weren't just student and teacher. Bloomfield had personally chosen David to assist him in a side project. Bloomfield was looking into Senator Michael Jennings of Minnesota, who seemed to be quite an All American senator; Happy family, happy constituents, and a very popular voting record. He was also very good at keeping secrets, one particularly horrible one Doc Bloomfield planned on releasing to the press. He, however, died a mysterious death before being able to do so. David Cranbrook has spent the last two years pouring over Bloomfield's files and is close to finding the truth. His search has intensified since Senator Jennings became the presidential nominee. 

The public has swung heavily in favour of Senator Jennings. Left wing news host Clarissa Porter has been shadowing his campaign and knows more about him than any other TV personality. But she has her own shadow now as David Cranbrook follows her from stop to stop. He becomes a fixture around the Jennings campaign, eventually speaking with the senator himself. But the mention of Doc Bloomfield leads to an abrupt ending to the conversation. The election approaches and Cranbrook is running out of time. He's spending every night going over Bloomfield's notes. At around 3am on a Sunday, he finally learns the terrible truth. And the election is only two days away.

The "real" media doesn't take the young journalist seriously. He can't find an outlet for his revelation anywhere. Not even a momentary mention on one of the 24 hour news channels. Despite his horrendous secret, Senator Michael Jennings will soon be president. David Cranbrook has given up but news has spread of his "rumour mongering". Now the truth isn't the only thing at risk… so is his life.

Press Section: "It's not about the truth, kid. Not anymore"; prophetic words spoken by the brilliant Frank Langella early on in this scathing look at the twenty-four hour news cycle and the politicians and pundits  that drive it. "Inside The Beltway" takes a harsh look at how much media bias has to play in our elections, and stands firmly in the middle of the isle. A left wing senator is running for president. The right wing is calling him down to the lowest, and the left wing is praising him as a demigod, but neither are paying attention to the real issues.

Andrew Garfield plays David Cranbrook, an investigative journalist hell bent on revealing the truth about our presidential nominee, Michael Jennings. Jennings is played with an abundance of charisma by Robin Williams, who is simultaneously approachable, and distant. We see much more of Mr. Williams later on in the film, as we leapfrog back and forth in the narrative from his presidential campaign to his time as a simple senator. He and Frank Langella have a few very impressive scenes together as they argue over the purpose of the media. But when the senator becomes aware that his secret has been found out, he becomes undone. It's a quick transformation that Williams pulls off seamlessly. Langella's performance is understated, but strong. He spends most of his time researching, and talking, all the while mentoring the young David Cranbrook. When the story returns to the present, Michael Jennings has become far more calculating. David Cranbrook is now the one on his tail and he's up against the wall. His campaign manager, the high strung Kim Dodge (played by Robin Wright in a scene stealing performance) is charged with stopping Cranbrook from finding out too much. When she fails, she takes it upon herself to silence him. There are a lot of great veteran actors at work in this film, and the young Andrew Garfield not only holds his own next to them, but really shines. In the past he is an optimistic journalism student, but in the present he is jaded by what he's seen. He's unrelenting and aggressive when need be, and has little to no filter most of the time. 

What truly makes this picture shine is the screenplay. Here Aaron Sorkin has written an interweaving drama of secrets, corruption, and the hunt of the truth. His use of media spin to create one red haring after the other is masterful. We spend the entire film piecing together the same clues, with two different people and two different periods, and he manages to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout. His screenplay always remains one steps ahead of the audience. When Michael Jenning's secret is finally revealed, it is truly shocking. The hints have been there all along and we've overlooked them. All of this is orchestrated brilliantly by Curtis Hanson, whose Washington DC seems to have crawled out of a film noir. He starts building the tension in the very first scene and doesn't let the audience rest until the end credits roll. The film's pace goes from heated to a purely manic speed by the end.

"Inside The Beltway" is a rare film, in that it has several performances that leap off the screen, with Williams and Langella as real standouts. It's got a smart screenplay that doesn't hold the audience's hand. It expect you to keep with it and never stops to recap. And Curtis Hanson's direction ties it all together into an exhilarating experience that also manages to make you think. It's smart, clever, and addictive. You won't want to look away until you know the truth.

Awards Consideration 
Best Picture
Best Director - Curtis Hanson
Best Actor - Andrew Garfield
 Best Supporting Actor - Robin Williams
Best Supporting Actor - Frank Langella
Best Supporting Actress - Robin Wright
Best Original Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin