At a time when journalistic integrity and the pursuit of the truth in the media have reached a nadir, "The Independent" sought to recover some of the nostalgia for decent news reporting.
The structure of the film took on the approach of "All The President's Men" in the hustle of two investigative reporters to get to the heart of political corruption that impacts the future of the nation.
Unfortunately, the filmmakers got mired in a sob story about how a presidential candidate currently leading in the polls co-opted a national lottery to embezzle millions and took away funds earmarked for poor elementary school children in West Virginia.
There were good performances from Brian Cox and Jodie Turner-Smith as the two determined reporters seeking to expose the corruption of the presidential front runner, Nate Sterling. Cox plays the grizzled veteran journalist while Turner-Smith is the tyro reporter cleverly getting to the bottom of the story.
A major shortcoming of the film was that all three presidential candidates were lackluster and not believable. It was not convincing at all that Sterling would be able to implement his policy "Country Over Party" in light of the political realities of the Washington establishment. The fact that he had to resort to an embezzlement scheme to float his campaign says it all about his capabilities as a leader.
While there was decent dramatic tension and an interesting set of characters, the subplot of the young journalist's family, wherein her father was also a journalist, was inadvertently the most moving and memorable part of the film.
The structure of the film took on the approach of "All The President's Men" in the hustle of two investigative reporters to get to the heart of political corruption that impacts the future of the nation.
Unfortunately, the filmmakers got mired in a sob story about how a presidential candidate currently leading in the polls co-opted a national lottery to embezzle millions and took away funds earmarked for poor elementary school children in West Virginia.
There were good performances from Brian Cox and Jodie Turner-Smith as the two determined reporters seeking to expose the corruption of the presidential front runner, Nate Sterling. Cox plays the grizzled veteran journalist while Turner-Smith is the tyro reporter cleverly getting to the bottom of the story.
A major shortcoming of the film was that all three presidential candidates were lackluster and not believable. It was not convincing at all that Sterling would be able to implement his policy "Country Over Party" in light of the political realities of the Washington establishment. The fact that he had to resort to an embezzlement scheme to float his campaign says it all about his capabilities as a leader.
While there was decent dramatic tension and an interesting set of characters, the subplot of the young journalist's family, wherein her father was also a journalist, was inadvertently the most moving and memorable part of the film.