Bryan Cranston's acting chops can't be called into question after his very different but equally impressive TV roles — first as the befuddled dad in Malcolm In The Middle and of course as the chilling Walter White in Breaking Bad. Here, his Golden Globe-nominated performance of Hollywood blacklisted screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, is also very watchable as he completely inhabits the man who refused to bow down to the paranoia of '40s and '50s 'reds under the bed' thinking.
If you're not familiar with what happened in the movie industry at the time, Trumbo is certainly an education, but even if you know the basics it's still very informative and brings the whole concept of 'naming names' into perspective. Trumbo, identified as a communist at a time when that was enough to put you into jail — where he landed for a while — and refused to sell out his colleagues when he had to go before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Written by John McNamara and based on the book by Bruce Cook is deftly directed by Jay Roach, who melds black and white news footage and parts of old movies with the action. There are many great performances, including Louis CK as Trumbo's friend and fellow writer, Arten Hird (a composite character), Elle Fanning as his daughter, Nikola, Helen Mirren as gossip columnist and anti-communist Hedda Hopper, and John Goodman as blustery B Movie producer, Frank King.
In the end, Trumbo is about the triumph of integrity and of strength in the face of enormous pressure. It should make us all question whether we would cave in under similar circumstances.
