All The President's Men (15)

Nominated for 8 Oscars, sees a powerhouse duo: Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two Washington Post journalists who uncovered the bones of the legendary Watergate Scandal.

Opening with a bang. It is 1972. A late duty policeman arrests five burglars at the Democrat HQ - Watergate building. Believing it to be a minor news item, the Post sends new boy Woodward (Redford) to cover the story. But when he discovers the burglars were no ordinary chancers, the thrill ride begins.

The cool thoughtful, Woodward is assigned the hasty, ankle biting, over ambitious, Bernstein (Hoffman) to assist. Not a good mix. Somehow, reluctance settles in to a chemistry that bounces.

“Remarkably intelligent, working both as an effective thriller, and as a virtually abstract charting of the dark corridors of corruption and power.” (Time Out)

(research Adam Protz)

A detective thriller of words, notebooks, clacking typewriters and desk telephones (landlines to you) Redford and Hoffman’s ‘Woodstein’ is a subtle double act, on every level. Pakula’s direction is a masterpiece of slow-to-build wordplay, enjoying a beautifully satisfying complex tension. Ahead of its time by 22 years, it is the natural big screen sequel to The Post.

One chance at The Rex, don’t miss it.