We’ve waited a long time for a film with Bryan Cranston in the lead role. Breaking Bad established him as one of the finest actors working today, but in film he’s only had smaller roles in the likes of Argo and Godzilla. Finally, it’s time to see if he can bring that magic to the big screen.

Trumbo tells the true story of Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, a member of the American Communist Party. Though the post-second world war climate led to a growth of support for the party, the arrival of the cold war branded all communists as enemies of democracy. As a member of the communist party, Trumbo finds himself accused of attempting to subvert democracy, and a battle to maintain his reputation begins.

Let’s get my biggest praise of the film out of the way. The instant we see Trumbo sat in his bathtub, writing away with a glass of scotch in hand and a cigarette in his mouth, we are no longer aware that Cranston is portraying this man. Obviously this is the job of every actor, but so rarely are we treated to a performance so rich and absorbing, especially as Cranston is so recognisable as one of the most famous TV characters of all time. He gives one of the best performances of the year and seeing this display is worth the price of a ticket.

The character of Trumbo himself is also a great one to watch. He is a man of principle, never shying away from speaking his beliefs and making rational arguments to support them. He also has just the right amount of personal quirks that he feels real. Coupled with Cranston’s sublime performance, Trumbo feels like a vivid look back at the events as opposed to a dramatic retelling.

The supporting cast is also wonderful. Helen Mirren is great as a wicked and staunch journalist, and Louis CK is entertaining as fellow screenwriter and friend of Trumbo’s. The film has a great score too. It’s warped and clunky, reinforcing his arduous and troubling plight.

What surprised me about Trumbo is how engrossing its story is. Some biopics get too bogged down with exploring a single character that they fail to tell us an interesting tale. Sure, Trumbo was a communist, but this is not a film about communism. Instead, the film is about the right to hold your own political beliefs, regardless of what they may be. The way these people were treated really was awful, and it’s surprising that this story isn’t already well-known.

And though this central story was very intriguing to me, some of the other subplots weren’t given due attention and harmed the overall pacing of the film. This happens in many films – they try to avoid the second act sag by squeezing in a few subplots. But if they aren’t properly introduced and developed, they feel forced and sporadic. Character traits go haywire and motivations become foggy.

This issue was emphasised by the poor development of some of the minor characters. Albeit well-acted, Mirren’s character is a villain, but we are never given a concrete reason for her behaviour. She has her own beliefs too but her motivation always just felt like she wanted to stir up trouble as opposed to acting on her principles.

Now I’m not somebody who’ll ever say that stories should or shouldn’t be told. I think films have the right to tell any story they want, though the filmmakers must understand that their work is open to criticism. In this way, I’ll never be one to say that, for instance, Steve Jobs isn’t a story we need. Some might say it’s simply a story of a first-world white man who invents things and makes money. That’s true, but it’s still a great story.

The reason I mention this is because if you’re someone who does care about the relevance of a story, then Trumbo certainly fits the bill. Throughout history we’ve seen people discriminated against, oppressed, even imprisoned because of their race or their religion. In Trumbo we see such terrible treatment inflicted on those with a certain opinion. Again, this isn’t a film about communism, but about standing behind your views.

This resonated with me. Despite some minor gripes, Trumbo does a superb job of not only portraying the writer, but also the nasty era through which he battled. And though we’ve had to wait so long for Cranston to take on a lead role, I’ll happily wait just as long again if it means we’ll get to see something this special.

8-8

(GRADES: Both are out of 10. The left is an objective score based on its artistic merit, the right is how much I personally enjoyed it.)

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