Spotlight - A-

Rated R, 118 minutes

The "Spotlight" team

If you're familiar with Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's remarkable "All the President's Men" investigation to uncover the Watergate Scandal in the 1970's, you can appreciate the affecting, methodical and superbly well-acted new true story "Spotlight," which investigates corruption in the Catholic Church in Boston in the early 2000's. Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy, actor and director of such indie hits as "The Visitor" and "The Station Agent," "Spotlight" is a fascinating, powerful look at corruption in the Church. In 2001, new Boston Globe editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) assigns a team of his journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter "Robby" Robinson, (Michael Keaton) reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) and Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. The engrossing, riveting "Spotlight" is a relevant look at what happens when bad things happen to good people, and how unfortunate it is the bad treatment comes from the church, who supposedly has the best interests of people. McCarthy's solid, workmanlike direction and script make the film work better, and it could've easily fallen into a general diatribe about the church, though he generally steers clear of that and focuses on the investigation at hand, as well as some of its challenges, including the fact that 9/11 occurred smack dab in the middle of the investigation itself, not to mention the fact that the Catholic Church was so skilled in nearly keeping it hidden. It's universally well-acted, with strong performances from Ruffalo, Keaton and McAdams as the team who uncovers the abuse; Schreiber delivers a solid performance as well, though it seems to understate Baron's contributions; interestingly enough, there is an actual "President's Men" connection, as the team had the help and support of one of its Globe editors, Ben Bradlee Jr., played by "Mad Men's" John Slattery here. Catholics won't be happy about it at all and "Spotlight" is difficult to watch, but engrossing enough to stay with you long after you leave the theater. One of the year's best films.