Trumbo

This documentary explores the consequences of the United States Congress's post-World War II pursuit of suspected communists in Hollywood. By focusing on the life of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, the film examines how the blacklist and imprisonment affected individuals and their families. After refusing to answer questions under oath by citing the First Amendment, Trumbo faced prison, poverty, and exile in Mexico. The narrative follows his struggle to continue writing under pseudonyms and his eventual partial rehabilitation. The film blends interviews with friends and children, archive footage, newsreels, and letters read by actors.

Directed by Peter Askin, this was the second of three films he directed, following Company Man and preceding A Good Marriage. The screenplay was written by Christopher Trumbo. The cast includes Joan Allen, Michael Douglas, Liam Neeson, Paul Giamatti, and Josh Lucas, alongside archival footage of Dalton Trumbo. Produced by Safehouse Pictures, Reno Productions, Thirteen, and Filbert Steps Productions, the film has a runtime of 96 minutes. It received generally positive feedback from viewers, with a rating of 7.4/10 from 1,300 votes on IMDb and 6.7/10 from 34 votes on TMDB.