About this episode

The episode discusses the film All the President's Men, exploring its themes of journalism and storytelling.

“Follow the money.” Join Ian, Liam & Kev for our 327th episode as we type through the night, chase sources, and piece together one of the greatest journalistic thrillers ever made with All the President’s Men (1976). Megs? She’s not with us this week — she insisted on meeting a source in an underground parking garage and hasn’t come back up yet. We assume she’s waiting for a shadowy figure to confirm something. This week we discuss: Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward & Bernstein — contrasting energies, relentless curiosity, and the slow grind of uncovering truth. The procedural storytelling — phone calls, notes, dead ends. Why the film makes paperwork feel like high drama. The pace — deliberately methodical. Does the lack of traditional “action” heighten tension or test patience? Megs explores the role of journalism — integrity, persistence, and the cost of getting it right. Ian breaks down the film’s structure — accumulation of detail, repetition, and how small discoveries build into something enormous. Liam questions accessibility — does the film expect too much knowledge from its audience, or does it teach you as it goes? The use of sound and silence —…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ian, Liam, Kev

Topics covered

• journalism
• film analysis
• storytelling
• tension
• character dynamics
• historical context

Keywords

• All the President's Men
• journalism
• Robert Redford
• Dustin Hoffman
• film analysis
• tension
• storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: All the President’s Men

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