All the President's Men

Alan J Pakula’s noir-inflected mystery about Woodward and Bernstein’s investigations into the Watergate burglary.

No matter the ending is known; Pakula’s account of Woodward and Bernstein’s laborious efforts to break the truth about the Watergate break-in is a wonderfully atmospheric noir mystery. It benefits from a terrific cast, a William Goldman script that turns complexity of plot to advantage, and Gordon Willis’ superb cinematography, which contrasts the bright offices of the Washington Post with the shadowy labyrinths of power.