Journalistic freedom… to protect a source. This it the main theme of that surprisingly good movie. Inspired by true events, the characters are however entirely fictional.  Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) is a reporter who uncovers the identity of a female CIA agent thanks to a mysterious source. Prosecuted by Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon) for compromising “Homeland Security”, she sacrifices everything she has, including her marriage, to protect her source. The movie is the story of her struggle against the hardships she has to face to remain true to her principles.

Though everything is against her; and the prosecutor seems to be THE bad guy… it is more complicated than that. As a viewer, it is very difficult to choose a side as every point made throughout the movie makes sense.

It is an important movie that cannot be missed. As a journalist, Rachel has one goal: tell the truth as she believes too many secrets are going on and being covered by her government. By doing so, she compromised the security of the CIA agent she puts in the spotlights. As a consequence, events unfold against her. According to Patton, she endangered the security of the country and for that she is imprisoned until she agrees to yield and reveal the name of the “traitor” who gave her such a vital information. The movie goes beyond right and wrong… until the end, the viewer is kept wondering about the source… one cannot help feeling compassionate for Rachel… her stubbornness is often very frustrating as one sees her family falling apart because of her decision.

The movie shows that the freedom of the press is nothing but an illusion… abuse of such freedom by the media has been seen so often. The consequences can be harsch for those concerned by what is revealed. The truth at any cost… how good can it be? Though without truth, how can a people trust its leaders? There is such a fine line in the world of information. We are never told the entire truth, between sensorship and journalistic interpretation, news are but subjective for the purpose of those who spread them.

Truth… secrecy… integrity of such a controversial profession… Nothing but the truth did not give me any answer… it did not leave me bitter either. Truth is a responsibility to take on as a whole, with consequences sometimes unforeseen. In the end, one must do ones best to follow the guidelines one set for ones life… though nobody said it was easy.