Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Quiz Show
1994
****½
Director: Robert Redford
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul Scofield, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, Christopher McDonald, Johann Carlo, Elizabeth Wilson, Allan Rich, Mira Sorvino, Martin Scorsese

In 1958, the producer of NBC's popular quiz show Twenty One convinces the reigning champion to bow out so the network can appease the sponsor and bring in a more clean-cut contender. Robert Redford's long but wonderfully effortless drama chronicles a real-life broadcasting scandal, which exposed how the public was deceived to believe they were watching an actual competition. In this age of scripted reality TV, these events wouldn't break the news threshold, but this film is set in a different era. Paul Attanasio's pitch-perfect script covers the historical details and tells the moving personal stories of two different men. John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes, and John Schofield give great performances. Based on Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America.