I gotta say I can't recall a movie with as high a difference between its highs and its lows as this. The performances are absolutely extraordinary, and the filmmaking is exquisitely utilitarian (which I guess is a thing, never would've thought, way to go Clint).

But given how concerned the rest of the film is with truth, it's more than a little weird that Olivia Wilde and Jon Hamm are stuck playing absolute cartoon characters. Clint the director isn't really…

Until I was ten, my dad's main source of income was from bartending, and for several years in that period he worked at a place in Downtown Brooklyn that was a brisk walk from the borough's various courthouses. This is relevant for two reasons: the main one is a prize anecdote starring my dad's friend and coworker Jimmy, wherein during a particularly busy day at the restaurant John Gotti and retinue came in seeking strong drink and a bite to…

Invariably, professing a lack of interest in something and then writing about it is going to seem performative, so I won't claim complete disinterest. I will say that the reason I ultimately watched this after holding out for months is, rather than the subject matter and involved artists, that it became one of the most successful movies of all time and won the big dick award at Venice. At a certain point, curiosity overwhelms prejudice. And, now, I get it.…