Disclosure Day

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Disclosure Day follows two strangers (Emily Blunt’s Margaret and Josh O’Connor’s Daniel) as they attempt to leak a groundbreaking story that could change civilization as we know it. Filmmaker Spielberg, armed with David Koepp’s screenplay, delivers a watchable yet mostly disappointing endeavor that fares especially poorly within its sluggish, context-free opening stretch, as the picture’s egregiously mysterious atmosphere contains few elements designed to initially capture and sustain the viewer’s interest – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by Janusz Kaminski’s slick, ugly visuals and a pair of hopelessly underwhelming lead performances. (O’Connor’s dodgy American accent and Blunt’s distractingly plastic face generally make it impossible to connect with their respective figures.) It’s clear, then, that Disclosure Day benefits from its progressively intriguing narrative and smattering of admittedly enthralling set-pieces (eg an exciting chase sequence involving a train and a car), while the revelation-heavy and unexpectedly gripping third act does ensure that the whole thing concludes on a palpably memorable, moving note – which ultimately confirms the picture’s place as a decent piece of work that could (and should) have been so much better.

**1/2 out of ****