Journalistic crusading has spawned some classic films, most famously All The President’s Men. And in this age of endless government suspicion, freedom of information and Big Brother attitudes, they are, if anything, even more relevant. **Kill The Messenger **finds Jeremy Renner as a driven reporter who digs up a story so juicy he can’t help but share it, even through he knows the juice comes laced with poison for anyone spilling the details. Check out the first trailer for the dramatic thriller on Apple.
Kill The Messenger, which has director Michael Cuesta working from Peter Landesman’s script, is based on the true story of investigative reporter Gary Webb. Working at the San Jose Mercury News, Webb uncovered evidence of the CIA’s involvement in the spread of cocaine in Los Angeles. The stories tied the Agency to a scheme that funded Contra rebels in Nicaragua via the drug trade. His three-part series, called Dark Alliance, hit newsstands in 1996, and led to a long, vicious smear campaign against the journalist and Webb’s suicide in 2004.
Cuesta has rounded up a strong ensemble to support Renner, including Rosemarie DeWitt, Paz Vega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Sheen, Andy Garcia, Tim Blake Nelson, Robert Patrick, Barry Pepper, Ray Liotta and Oliver Platt. The film itself lands here on November 28.