DVD Review: Nothing But the Truth

Inspired by the Valerie Plame/Judith Miller CIA leak scandal, this solid muckraking saga from writer/director Rod Lurie (The Contender) features Kate Beckinsale as Rachel Armstrong, a Washington newspaper reporter whose article about Venezuela’s involvement in an assassination attempt on the American president reveals Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga) as a covert CIA agent. Refusing to give up her sources for the story, Armstrong faces a prison sentence despite the efforts of her attorney (Alan Alda). Part political thriller, part journalism story and part jailhouse drama, the film is mostly successful on all counts.

Shelf Talk: Nothing But the Truth played for one week in theaters for Oscar eligibility, then disappeared before a regular theatrical release. Reminiscent of such based-on-reality films as Shattered Glass and Breach, this one has the kind of high-profile cast and provocative premise that generates business, even with its forgettable title and generic DVD box art of Beckinsale and co-star Matt Dillon.