The Pentagon Papers (TV 2003)

Defense worker Daniel Ellsberg seeks to publish a series of classified government documents detailing the true nature of America's involvement in the Vietnam War.

Director:

Rod Holcomb

Writer:

Jason Horwitch

Stars:

James Spader, Claire Forlani, Paul Giamatti

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Spader	...	Daniel Ellsberg
Claire Forlani	...	Patricia Marx
Paul Giamatti	...	Anthony Russo
Alan Arkin	...	Harry Rowen
Kenneth Welsh	...	John McNaughon
Maria del Mar	...	Carol Ellsberg
Sean McCann	...	John Mitchell
James Downing	...	H.R. Haldeman
Richard Fitzpatrick	...	John Ehrlichman
Jonas Chernick	...	Neil Sheehan
Amy Price-Francis	...	Jan Butler
Aaron Ashmore	...	Randy Kehler
George R. Robertson	...	Senator Fulbright (as George Robertson)
Robert Seeliger	...	FBI Agent
Roland Rothchild	...	FBI Agent

Storyline

Daniel Ellsberg, a hawkish analyst for the Rand Corporation think-tank and later for the U.S. government, supports the war in Vietnam until two powerful occurrences: the experience, first-hand, of combat and political turmoil in Vietnam, and the discovery of secret Defense Department documents detailing the deliberate fabrication of reasons to initiate and expand the war. Facing a crisis of conscience, Ellsberg becomes convinced that the American people have not been told the truth about the war, its justifications, or its likely outcome. He decides to expose the secret history of the war in hopes that the American public, its eyes opened, will force the government to end the war. In order to do so, he must risk his career and his freedom, perhaps even his life.

---

Plot Keywords:

vietnam war | information leak | lingerie slip | anti war | politics | 

---

Taglines:

His greatest act of patriotism was an act of treason.

---

Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some war images and brief sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Pentagon-ügyirat

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

City Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The exterior of a bar supposedly located in Saigon clearly displays signs written in the Thai language, and some of the signs are from contemporary times, as evidenced by product logos, rather than from 1965.

---

Connections

References The Pentagon Papers (1972)

User Reviews

Why you should read Ellsberg's memoir "Secrets"

I agree completely with jmuckian (above). I've just finished reading "Secrets", the memoir that this movie is based on. Did they do an okay job for a TV movie? Yes. Does it *begin* to convey the flavour of the book, and the creeping disenchantment that Ellsberg experiences over the course of his years spent at the Pentagon, in the Marines, and at Rand? No, and that's what makes the book an absolutely riveting page-turner. I think the most glaring error in the movie is the reduction of his time in-country to a gunfight or two and the surveying of a decimated village in the middle of a monsoon. In reality, his time on the ground and insistence on really seeing what was going on in villages that others only saw from the air made for the best parts of the story. So in balance, I think that if you were willing to sit through this movie, and find the story at all compelling, you really owe it to yourself to read the book.