Despite an impressive manifestation from Day, it’s pretty easy to forget. Generic, and far too reliant on the umbrage it should illicit— but it just doesn’t these days, cuz we already know all too well how racist and disgraceful the FBI was historically. This is more the rule than the exception, but the film would presume we’re watching from an inverted perspective. A worthy story for a movie, but told without much of anything in the way of distinctive craft…

I had a film professor who would refer to PTA as a snake oil salesman. In a sense, of course, all filmmakers (like magicians) are, but she didn’t mean it in that broader sense. It was a dismissal. I suppose it all comes down to if the magic trick works for you or not. Do I see the strings? Or am I filled with wonder? In the case of this film, I see the strings... but am wildly impressed by…