Bombshell - The End of Silence

She's blonde, sexy and quick-witted: Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) is THE poster girl for the Fox News channel. But she quickly finds out that pretty legs count for more than real journalism. But that doesn't stop Kelly from taking on Donald Trump in the presidential campaign - much to the displeasure of station boss Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), a close Trump ally. Although the latter launches a nasty, misogynistic Twitter campaign against the host, the network doesn't back her. At the same time, Kelly's colleague Gretchen Carlson's (Nicole Kidman) contract is not renewed when she refuses to conform to the TV Barbie stereotype any longer. And young editor Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie) also gets a taste of the unpleasant side of the network's executive suite - even if it means career advancement for her. When Gretchen Carlson publicly messes with Ailes and sues the station chief for sexual harassment, she faces plenty of headwinds. But why are Kelly and Pospisil silent - and for how much longer?

Based on true events, Bombshell - The End of Silence takes a revealing look behind the scenes at conservative broadcaster Fox News, the mouthpiece of US President Trump. Director Jay Roach attempts to reel in the events with a touch of biting satire, obviously using Adam McKay's films Vice and The Big Short as his models. However, he doesn't manage the balancing act between revelatory drama and satire quite as well as McKay did. Given the mendacity this story exposes and the manipulative reporting this network does to help divide the country, a little more bite and viciousness would have been quite desirable.

However, there is nothing wrong with the film in terms of acting. The three leads are just great and John Lithgow - barely recognizable under his mask - also delivers a stellar performance. The make-up effects and equipment are also top notch, which is especially made clear by the inclusion of original footage. Still, in the end the impression remains that much more could have been gotten out of the material. Especially when compared to the mini-series The loudest Voice, in which Russel Crowe impressed as Roger Ailes. That seven-part series makes it clear how much more potential there could have been in the story.

Despite that, Bombshell - The End of Silence, despite its flaws, is a good, entertaining and important film that is worth watching for the great actresses alone. It's a film that makes you think and angry, but also has plenty of light-hearted, humorous moments to offer, without diluting the message of the story. All in all, that's still enough on balance with small deductions for a: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp