Trumbo (2015)

Trumbo is a sharply written, emotionally charged biographical drama that follows Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), once Hollywood’s top screenwriter, as he is swept up in the anti-Communist hysteria of the late 1940s and blacklisted by the film industry. After refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee, Trumbo spends time in prison, returns to a career in ruins, and resorts to ghostwriting under pseudonyms — even winning an Academy Award for Roman Holiday through a friend’s credit — while fighting to expose the absurdity and injustice of the blacklist. Watching the film you’ll experience a mix of courtroom and political tension, pointed satire aimed at powerful anti-Communist figures like gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren), and quieter, often painful family drama as Trumbo’s convictions strain his marriage to Cleo (Diane Lane) and his relationship with their children. The movie balances anger and wit: Trumbo’s sharp dialogue and cunning strategies provide moments of sly humor and satisfaction, while scenes of betrayal, career ruin, and moral compromise land hard. Key industry figures such as Kirk Douglas (Dean O’Gorman) and director Otto Preminger (Christian Berkel) play roles in his eventual vindication when he is finally brought back into the spotlight to write Spartacus. Overall, Trumbo is both an intimate portrait of a principled, stubborn artist and a broader indictment of fear-driven politics. Viewers can expect strong performances, engaging historical detail, and an emotional arc that moves from outrage and humiliation to defiant creativity and hard-won, imperfect triumph.

Actors: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren

Director: Jay Roach

Runtime: 124 min

Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama

7.0 /10 60 /100 7.4 /10 6.8 /10