Disclosure Day (12A)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay:David Koepp, Steven Spielberg

Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth
Running time: 145 minutes

Cinema

​

Review: Dave Stephens

​

Some filmmakers become estranged from the horror once they make it big. Nobody associates Steven Spielberg with that genre, but back when he was a Hollywood “wunderkind”, directing the likes of Columbo, two of his first feature-length movies (made for TV admittedly) were the beloved psycho-thriller Duel (1971) and the genuine US folk horror Something Evil (1972). On top of that, we’ll fight anyone who says that Jaws isn’t a genre classic! And then there’s the scary bits in the Jurassic Park movies, the supernatural elements of the Indiana Jones franchise, and the aliens scrabbling across the roof before snatching a child from his mother in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Take that, family-friendly enthusiasts! Of course, his work has changed over the years, with him returning numerous times to science fiction, helming stuff like War of the Worlds, Minority Report and (of course) E.T., alongside his more serious projects. He’s never gone back to horror, though, and to be honest… he still hasn’t with his latest offering. But Disclosure Day appears to have enough mystery and spookiness to warrant some attention from us, if only for the teases regarding momentous global events, government cover-ups, and non-human entities. DD is directed and produced by Spielberg from a screenplay by the prolific David Koepp, who allegedly wrote 42 drafts of the story before committing to a final version! It stars the ever-excellent Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth in the lead roles. After a premiere in Paris, the film is on full theatrical release in the UK and the USA, receiving mostly positive feedback, although some critics have firebombed it in a literary sense. Anyway, we’ll tell you what we think of “Dis” film shortly after a quick (spoiler-free) synopsis.

 

It starts at running speed and in espionage territory as government whistleblower Daniel Kellner (O’Connor) attempts to hand off some purloined data to US Government spooks to save his kidnapped girlfriend Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson). He eventually manages to save both his girlfriend and retrieve the data, going on the run whilst being guided by his mentor Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), another whistleblower. The Men-In-Black-alike group are called “Wardex” and governed by the amoral Noah Scanlon (Firth, obviously having a great time as the villain), being responsible for suppressing certain facts from the world for a long time. Daniel legs it and has to work out how to best release the earth-shattering secrets he now knows. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Margaret Fairchild (a faultless Blunt) is preparing to go onscreen and run through her usual sexy weathergirl schtick for the local news channel, something she is way over and longs for a new purpose. This opportunity unexpectedly presents itself when (after an unusual wildlife encounter) she starts to babble in foreign and unknown languages. Not only that, but she seems to have developed a strong and preternatural empathic link with everyone and can sense the plight of Daniel. Now both on the lam from Firth’s goons, can the unlikely duo link up and release the truth that’s been hidden from the world? Well, what do you think, given the title?

 

As a quick aside, it’s somewhat disconcerting to hear the background noise and setting of DD. Korea is flexing its military muscle, there are rumblings in Russia, America is upping its def-con level, and the media is using the abbreviation WWIII a lot. So, it’s basically a real-time documentary, except that the US President doesn’t seem to be flooding social media platforms with playground taunts. We’re only mentioning this, as it seems Spielberg has had enough of this IRL shit and won’t take it anymore. Hence, the return to the good ol’ days of optimism and wholesomeness. If there were to be a spoken moral for this movie in the Marvel comic book sense, it would probably be: “With great power… should come some compassion, you corrupt governmental bastards!” In other words, empathy is a genuine superpower in this plot. Blunt’s character brings that to the party, even though she is baffled by her abilities to “read” or “become” other people, right until the last act. But this talent would be nothing without the associated knowledge, which is where O’Connor’s character fits in.

 

First of all, it has to be said that Blunt has been lauded for her performance here and rightly so. She has just the right mixture of normality, befuddlement, and genuine compassion when she interacts with others. That’s all her own work, with the clicks and burp noises being naturally produced as well. No AI, here. Just here some simple recording and microphone malarkey. Her lead character is just as important and appealing here as she is in the Quiet Place films and the sadly underrated Edge of Tomorrow. It’s not only her performance that raises the bar here, as Firth’s cool and confident villain is just as fascinating to watch. He seems to relish this opportunity to go merciless and become the antithesis of a hero. It’s really good work, and he is responsible for a couple of high points in the storyline. Paired with Eve Hewson in one scene (who is also remarkably good throughout the running time), there’s an excellent “interrogation”/manipulation sequence which relies on an important MacGuffin and clever use of the actor’s eye colours. It creates excellent tension and interplay between the two cast members. The rest of the cast is also very good, although Daniel comes across as slightly underwritten and just a bit too whiny to be appreciated.

 

Spielberg can do this kind of cinematic mixture of popcorn-driven action and character emoting with a seasoned hand these days. And there’s life in the old camera yet, as he incorporates circling movements and lens flare to the nth degree and choreographs a breath-taking heroes-in-peril moment (involving trains and automobiles, but no planes) that could have easily been incorporated into one of the Indy epics. It’s nice to see some physical stunt work mixed in alongside some (slightly ropey) CG animals. However, this is the point where the wheels don’t exactly fall off, but they do start to judder slightly. In all honesty, despite the performances and ambition, most people were expecting something more from the “maestro”. With rumours circulating that this was a “stealth sequel” to CE3K (spoiler: It absolutely isn’t) and a spiritual capper to that and E.T., hopes were sky-high for what it would deliver. Which makes it all the more disappointing that, overall, this feels underwhelming and a bit “meh”.

 

The opening scenes feel like you’ve walked in very late to a spy film, as the stakes are apparently high but unknown. You would hope that all this intrigue and build-up would lead to a jaw-dropping denouement, but truth be told, it culminates in nothing that you haven’t seen before. Despite the world-altering premise, we’ve been spoiled by ever more spectacular sci-fi and horror over the years, certainly since CE3K, but this feels like the concept has barely moved forward. You can understand why Spielberg was drawn back to the basic scenario again, and it echoes some of the more cerebral 1950s movies in that genre. Humanity is on the verge of extinction, supported by a cynical regime that is afraid of societal collapse, and it has the potential to be saved by an extraordinary revelation. It’s a hopelessly optimistic view (ooh, bit of politics!) and it sucks out any realism from the final act.

 

The film goes from an intriguing and mysterious beginning, with some genuinely disturbing archive footage, to something that feels a bit twee. The notion of Government kill-squads and ruthless secrecy gradually gives way to Disney-type romps in the woodland (where it snows upwards) and a childlike view of how such an event would (or should) be covered. It all feels a bit naive rather than hopeful. Or is that just our crashing cynicism from global events in the last decade or so? Whatever, your opinion, this is an old-fashioned movie, not a million miles in context from stuff like It’s a Wonderful Life or… yes… “E.T., it just feels like the world has moved on from this kind of approach now, and what is shown has already been seen and experienced a great many times. And whilst we’re talking about things that could be better. A shout-out for Wardex. Quite possibly the most inept and poorly-trained agents since the Stormtroopers first fumbled lasers in the original “Star Wars” trilogy. One character stumbles within feet of a massed group of them and steals a car from right under their noses! And then there’s one of the least dramatic escape attempts captured on film!

 

It’s not that DD is “bad”. It’s a perfectly acceptable piece of popcorn fodder. It’s just that it felt like it should have been a tentpole film for this summer. There are a lot of “events” in this nearly two-and-a-half-hour film, but not a lot actually “happens” … if that makes sense. It’s a teasing mystery, followed by several captures/evasions/chases, leading to a climax that feels a little… anti-climactic. This should have been so much more, given the talents of the people behind and in front of the cameras. We wanted to be blown away by those final moments, but we weren’t. The occasional flirtation with big themes, such as whether religion would survive monumental revelations, doesn’t really elevate it. It’s great that Spielberg has spent time on bucking the trend of nihilistic or grim tales, emphasising how screwed up the real world is, and underlining just how important empathy and compassion should be in current society. That’s refreshing, but given how nail-biting some of this story could have been, and how slow-burning the narrative is, we wanted just that little bit more. It’s the sort of film that will play differently to each person who sees it, but we very much doubt it’ll be in anyone’s top five films of the year. Dis-missed.