Nothing but the Truth

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Nothing but the Truth

R

2008

1h 47m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When reporter Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor (Matt Dillon) and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside (Alan Alda) argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Critics Consensus

A well-crafted political thriller, Nothing But the Truth features a strong cast that helps the real-life drama make an effortless transition to the big screen.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/12/2017

A-

... it's interesting to see the story from the viewpoint of a female journalist--one whose capabilities as a mother, a wife and a law-abiding citizen are constantly questioned...

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

05/01/2009

3.5/4

A finely-crafted film of people and ideas, of the sort more common before the movie mainstream became a sausage factory.

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Ann Hornaday

Washington Post

04/28/2009

Every once in a while, for reasons as random as a Hollywood executive's taste or an economic meltdown, a perfectly decent movie slips through the cracks, never receives a theatrical release and is relegated to the purgatory called straight-to-DVD.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

09/05/2023

3.5/4

The moral and patriotic complexity of [Lurie's] subject lingers long after the end credits.

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

11/13/2019

Intelligently written. Potent performances. Superlative gripping story. A principled film that speaks soberly and passionately about standing up for one's principles; be it a soccer mom, CIA agent or reporter.

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

08/27/2019

3/5

Writer jailed protecting source; strong language, violence.

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Jelisije J

@jjosifovic Jul 19

The movie asks the moral question should a government criminalize people for doing basic journalism if the journalist source breaks national security? The reveal of the source was terrible though which took away half a star for me.

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G D

@Cibon May 17

The entire ensemble was terrific. The story was compelling and maintained my interest all the way through. The mood of the film fit the subject matter. And what an ending!

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Stoner J.

@Stoner Mar 22

A pretty dang good political thriller

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Garry A

@heavyg 07/22/2025

It started out compelling but the longer she was in jail the story started feeling competitive and I was wondering when the movie was going to end.

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nick s

@Nick_S 05/01/2025

Great casting with excellent performances from all the actors. The character conflict was ambiguous so you weren't sure if you should really be rooting for the protagonist. The antagonists had fair arguments. That's a nice bit of story crafting. The simple plot was a bit overstretched and I wanted it to move along faster. I also felt that the end reveal, while thoughtful, was not completely logical.

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Laurie S

@Karlwinters 04/23/2023

Beckinsale shows her scale of acting to the full in this role. Marshall Dillon plays a faciast US government official hell-bent on preventing freedom of speech backed by an oppressive right-wing US legal system. When it comes down to condoning a system where a journalist is persecuted because she doesn't wish to reveal her source who in turn could be in danger of their lives then we might as well all give up and join up with a dictatorship regime. Swimmer plays an 'a'hole unsupportive husband who doesn't give a shi'te about her. God Bless America!

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Rod Lurie

Director

Kate Beckinsale

Rachel Armstrong

Matt Dillon

Patton Dubois

Angela Bassett

Bonnie Benjamin

Vera Farmiga

Erica Van Doren

Alan Alda

Albert Burnside

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Synopsis

When reporter Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor (Matt Dillon) and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside (Alan Alda) argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Director: Rod Lurie
Producer: Marc Frydman, Bob Yari, Ransom Richard Owen, Rod Lurie
Screenwriter: Rod Lurie
Distributor: Yari Film Group
Production Co: Battleplan Productions, Yari Film Group
Rating: R (Language|A Scene of Violence|Some Sexual Material)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.0K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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