32/50x2: All the President's Men

This is yet another one of the films I selected that is based on true events. Over the years I have sort of learned more and more about this scandal, so a lot of what I watched I already knew.

All the President's Men focuses on Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), journalists from the Washington Post. Woodward finds out about a story involving the Watergate complex where five men had broken in and were attempting to bug the place.

With little information, Woodward begins to do a little digging and the Post teams him up with Bernstein, who at the time wasn't as well known as Woodward. The two clashed as partners, but worked extremely well together.

They, of course, were investigating and reporting on the Watergate Scandal, that eventually the two reporters - with the help of inside man known only at the time as Deep Throat - were able to connect some very high up people in politics, including the President of the United State, Richard Nixon.

The film was definitely interesting. It gave us the inside story of Woodward and Bernstein and the way that they took such a small lead and were able to dig and find information to take down the most powerful man in the country.

It was a bit extra interesting for me being a person who works at a newspaper. Now, granted, I work in the sports department so I have to do very little of this kind of journalism, but ethics do come into question on occasion. It's nice to see the struggle of the journalists and the editors as they had to decide what they could and couldn't report based on the information, and even the type of information that they had received. A nice, inside look at that.

Truly loved both Hoffman and Redford's work in this film. Being someone who really doesn't look at a ton of old movies, I can see the real appeal of those two actors even more now.

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17/50x2: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

I just did a quick look and Paul Newman has a vast number of films on his resume, but before doing this list I had only seen three - but I have now seen two more. Before watching these movies I had only seen Slap Shot, Road to Perdition (which I've only seen once, but will be seeing it again soon in my HOT) and Cars.

The first of the two I watched was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Newman stars as Butch, a thief who is the leader of a small gang of crooks. He is the brains of the operation, though feared, he had never shot a man before. His partner in crime is The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford), who is the crack shot of the group.

After defeating a member of his own group who was trying to take over as leader, Butch and the group decide to rob the Union Pacific Flyer, a train carrying money, twice. Once going and once coming. Their thought process was that after being robbed once, they would reload the train with even more money never expecting to be robbed a second time.

But, this backfired on the gang as too much dynamite was used exploding the safe during the second robbery and money is thrown everywhere. As the group is trying to gather as much money as possible, another train arrives with men on it protecting the money and looking to apprehend Butch and The Kid.

The rest of the film is this group tracking Butch and The Kid, and them trying to stay two-steps ahead. The two even received a normal job protecting a mining companies payroll - and when they get ambushed, Butch is forced to kill his first man. Realizing they are much better crooks, they decide to return to a life of crime.

After the theft of the payroll, they find a small town - and are finally tracked down by the men.

I didn't mind this film when I watched it, but it obviously didn't make that much of an impression on me. I had difficulty remembering a lot of what happened in the film.

I enjoyed the younger Newman and definitely Redford. They worked well together, and makes me want to consider watching The Sting as well.

I am glad I finally watched it, and if I stumbled across it I might sit and watch it again, but it's not one I would throw in the DVD player again anytime soon.

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