All the President's Men/The Candidate (2005) (Back to Back)

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN: In ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, director Alan Pakula adapts the best-selling book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Pakula created a film that takes its place among such important conspiracy dramas as THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. The focus is on the 1972 investigation of the break-in to the Democratic Party headquarters, otherwise known as the Watergate burglary. Through a complicated web of intrigue and secrecy that eventually involves the highest levels of government, hungry young journalists Woodward (Robert Redford) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) of the Washington Post aggressively examine the incident, ultimately leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Exceptional performances by Redford and Hoffman are complemented by Jason Robards as the dubious but supportive executive editor at the Post, and Hal Holbrook's celebrated characterization of mysterious informer Deep Throat. The pacing of the film is quick and exciting, drawing viewers into the action of one of the most intriguing mysteries in all of American political history.

THE CANDIDATE: Michael Ritchie once again shows his impressive ability to tackle new genres, after DOWNHILL RACER and PRIME CUT, with THE CANDIDATE, a scathing depiction of the hypocrisy and complexity within the American political world. Bill McKay (Robert Redford) is an idealistic young lawyer and son of a famous governor who is pressured into running for the United States Senate against the popular incumbent, with the assurance that he will lose and not have to give up his integrity or ideals. However, as the campaign deepens, he finds himself giving in and allowing himself to be manipulated as the polls slowly change and swing in his favor. Soon his backers decide that they want him to win after all. By the time Election Day arrives, McKay has become the exact person that he used to speak so vehemently against. Working from an Oscar-winning script by former McCarthy speechwriter Jeremy Larner, Ritchie films THE CANDIDATE with a heavy dose of semidocumentary realism that makes for an emotionally impacting experience.