Disclosure Day
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
Steven Spielberg delivers his best film in 20 years with the powerful, hopeful & intelligent thriller DISCLOSURE DAY. More "Minority Report" than "Close Encounters", anyone grabbing their popcorn and settling in for another "ET" are in for a surprise.
But for me, the final 15 minutes delivered that same heartfelt, stirring aspiration for mankind that we all felt watching ET say goodbye to Elliott 44 summers ago.
This is the brilliant summer movie making from our greatest American director that we've been missing for a very long time.
Spielberg plunges us into the action from the opening frames, with Dr. Daniel Kellner (a superb Josh O'Connor) running to escape the same kind of relentless secret government agency that Mulder & Scully were constantly fleeing from in the X-Files.
These baddies are led by Noah Scanlon, perfectly cast in the form of Colin Firth, who brings a galaxy of mystery and menace to the role. Scanlon and his mob of well tailored government agents want all the files that Kellner has made off with, which expose a massive 70 year UFO coverup by the government.
Scanlon has kidnapped Kellner's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) and isn't afraid to play hardball to get the files back. But Kellner has something even more valuable in hand, literally.
I'm not giving away any major plot points here, and I won't ruin any of the film's surprises or mysteries, which are brilliantly set up and revealed. Everything that I described above happens in the first five minutes of the film.
As Daniel and Jane Kellner hit the road to escape, the are helped by a benevolent and calming voice, Hugo Wakefield. If you want a peaceful presence in the middle of a two hour plus chase mystery, you can't hire a better actor than Colman Domingo, who serves up my favorite performance of his to date, for me. He's fascinating to watch as the global events unwind around him.
Meanwhile, we meet Kansas City TV weather personality Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) and her musician husband Jackson (Wyatt Russell). Margaret is beloved in the local market for her sexy, funny personality. The woman absolutely LOVES a good hail storm. But she seems restless at home, feeling like there must be something more out there for her.
One day on air, after a fascinating event I won't share here, she begins speaking in a strange language of clicks and stops and moans that's just as freaky as you've seen in the trailers.
The newscast goes viral globally, putting the plot into action mode as Scanlon's team suddenly shows up looking for her, putting Margaret and Daniel on a relentless collision course.
Spielberg reaches into his limitless and patented bag of visual style and action-scene creative talents to unleash one great sequence after another.
There's a chase sequence involving Margaret and Kellner's car being pushed by one of those big, window tinted Government suburbans onto a train track as a very long train speeds by. Henry Lloyd Hughes is great as Caspar Boyd, Scanlon's right hand man and the one at the wheel forcing our heroes onto the tracks. It's a killer action sequence from start to finish, as is an escape from a rural farm where Margaret and Kellner are hiding.
In between the action, Spielberg and long time collaborator / screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park) weave a powerful tale around humanity, our place in the universe, religion, power and fate.
Spielberg is the only filmmaker that I can think of that can so deftly blend two such different tracks into one seamless film that can play on so many different levels.
Janusz Kaminski shot the film, his 21st collaboration with Spielberg since 'Schindler's List" over 30 years ago. They have created a beautiful visual language that sings in both the action scenes and the awe struck finale.
John Williams tops that long legacy with his 30th original score for Spielberg since 1974's "The Sugarland Express" and every classic moment in between. Williams, now 94 years old, came out of retirement to do their 30th film together and he delivers a wholly original, fully symphonic score that jolts the action scenes and puts a massive lump in your throat in that finale.
Spielberg has intentionally not revealed any of the film's third act in the trailers, leaving the finale a complete mystery. It took me several hours to process my thoughts on it. What was never in question for me, was the final twenty minutes as the ultimate crescendo not only of the story line, but of Spielberg, Williams, O'Connor, Blunt, Domingo and Firth's contributing talents.
It reaches such emotional heights that it struck the sold out audience I saw it with completely silent. You could hear a pin drop as the final secrets are revealed in patented Spielberg style.
The absolute final moment of the film, will be what divides audiences. I don't think you could end the film any other way. For me it's a powerful inspiration for all of humanity and the choices ahead of us as a species.
Spielberg has evolved so much as a filmmaker that he's bringing his loyal audience along with him, reaching for something beyond a summer popcorn movie. While those purely looking for that may feel empty (you're already starting to see that online) DISCLOSURE DAY has the ability to deliver joy, hope and a powerful message. If you'll only....
Listen....
I loved this film and can't wait to see it again. DISCLOSURE DAY gets an A+.
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