X
- 2018
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 30 m
- 2018
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 30 m
Summary Shock and Awe is based on the true events of Knight Ridder journalists who were the only ones who “got it right” in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War when they questioned the true nature of the Bush White House’s justification for the conflict.
Directed By: Rob Reiner
Written By: Joey Hartstone
- 2018
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 30 m
- 2018
- R
- Vertical Entertainment
- 1 h 30 m
Shock and Awe
47
5.7
Where to Watch
Summary Shock and Awe is based on the true events of Knight Ridder journalists who were the only ones who “got it right” in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War when they questioned the true nature of the Bush White House’s justification for the conflict.
Directed By: Rob Reiner
Written By: Joey Hartstone
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
47
22% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
28% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
47
22% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
28% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
At times Shock and Awe is reminiscent of journalistic procedurals from “President’s Men” to “Spotlight” to “The Post,” and it gets the nitty-gritty details of an early 2000s newsroom just right.
If nothing else, the timely Shock and Awe is a blunt reminder of how important a skeptical press is in countering a popular government — or even an unpopular one — that is hellbent on lying, misleading, on doing something for nefarious reasons, and has all of cable news, talk radio and a truth-averse internet backing it up.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
5.7
53% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
18% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
29% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
5.7
53% Positive
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
18% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
29% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Having followed those times very closely, it's my opinion that everything in Rob Reiner's latest film is spot-on true. There's an all-star cast here and the film moves along at a most engaging pace, with reminders to me of All the President's Men and Spotlight in its way of presentation. Yes, it has its agenda but what's wrong with an agenda that tells the truth no matter how hard it is to swallow.
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Yes, it can be clunky at times, but this film says everything about journalism (especially in wartime) that The Post miserably failed to explore. This film is not interested in political dunking on the disastrous decision to invade Iraq, rather it is concerned with illuminating the importance of a free and skeptical press, and demonstrating the fatal flaws in a news media industry that is more concerned with access than accuracy. A sobering reminder that journalists (and politicians) hold countless lives in their hands, and if they are careless with the truth, the real consequences are suffered by those on the ground. This film leans left only in the sense that "Reality has a liberal bias." In fact, its decision to focus on the consequences of the invasion on the American soldiers sent into Iraq to pay the ultimate price for Cheney's dishonesty, while mostly ignoring the civilians in the Middle East who are living (and dying) in a destabilized war zone because of these lies, seems a deliberate choice to appeal to conservatives. Regardless of your political leanings, this film is powerful and honest, and more important now than ever before. Don't miss it!
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Reiner’s attempt to create Spotlight-like docudrama of newsroom courage and stoke fresh outrage about government lies is undermined by clunky old-fashioned filmmaking and Joey Harstone’s exposition-clotted script.
The shock feels less than shocking and the awe less than awesome in Rob Reiner’s righteously motivated but clunkily executed exposé of media manipulation in the run-up to the Iraq War.
The message tends to melt into a paint-by-numbers screenplay that pushes too many genre buttons to be thoroughly exciting.
The director tries to infuse Shock and Awe with the taut procedural drama of “All the President’s Men,” “Spotlight” or “The Post.” But he winds up demonstrating just how difficult it is to make shoe-leather journalism entertaining, much less artful.
This sadly derivative film has one too many screenings of "All the President’s Men" written all over it.
For those of us who actually paid attention to the facts and not the hysteria, it's nice to see a film honoring due diligence and multiple sourcing facts. This movie has a great cast and should be seen if not in a theater at home. Remember when those idiots started calling French fries, freedom fries? Well the French also had the facts right and I am sorry they didn't get a mention in this film.
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Clooney and Reiner are fighting it out for who can make the worst, most out of touch, most tone deaf movie of the year. Reiner still thinks its 1995 and thinks people believe the now discredited Fake News liberal propaganda machine.
Could be a tie between George and Rob for most clueless Hollywood liberal.
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Meathead drops another bomb. You just have to watch the trailer to glimpse the poor direction, overwrought dialogue and poor acting. Avoid this turkey at all costs.
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