"The acting and script tend to drive this intense and unbelievable expose more than anything, and it’s certainly worthy of the majority of the Oscar hype"

After much buzz after its handful of Oscar nominations, Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight has plenty going for it that could well see it win several gold men this month, but perhaps the most significant element is that this tale of institutional abuse and a subsequent cover-up within the Catholic Church is all based on true events.

Knowing that the story we see slowly unfold in front of us actually did happen, this gripping narrative instantly becomes more intriguing from the very beginning, as we quickly try to put names to faces and remember who’s who.

The cast do a more than worthy job of coming together and forming the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe: Michael Keaton’s Robby leads a team of three that includes intelligent, determined Mike (Mark Ruffalo); composed, methodical Sacha (Rachel McAdams); and the unpredictable Matt (Brian d’Arcy James), as they collectively gather evidence to rumble a church conspiracy protecting prolific paedophile priests spanning decades of abuse.
The telling of this does demand your full attention, otherwise you’ll lose track of what’s happening rather quickly.

And while the story is competently and interestingly told in believable, real-world Boston setting, praise should be heaped on the ability of our actors and the manner of its well devised screenplay.

That said, its direction, courtesy of McCarthy, is never anything other than serviceable. Ambitious or creative ways of telling this story aren’t necessarily needed, but the collective shots that comprise of very basic, bog-standard direction is nothing to brag about and, at times, noticeably bland. But with its hard-hitting, serious subject matter, it’d perhaps be inappropriate to do anything else. All I wanted was just a hint of flair, rather than the absolute bare basics, but in truth it’s hard to argue with McCarthy’s no nonsense, direct approach.

Spotlight is by no means a dull or overly contrived movie. It sets out to tell the scandalous, shocking tale of one of the biggest cover-ups in modern America. The acting and script tend to drive this intense and unbelievable expose more than anything, and it’s certainly worthy of the majority of the Oscar hype it has received.