Imagine consuming the mainstream media for the past three years and then watching “The Plot Against the President.”
Wait? What?
- President Donald Trump didn’t collude with Russia to steal the 2016 election?
- All that talk of a “Deep State” wasn’t just tinfoil hat material?
- The media, instead of apologizing for getting the collusion story 100 percent wrong, still won’t correct the record?
So says this searing documentary, one which lines up with everything we’ve learned about the Russia collusion hoax from the few, fair-minded news outlets remaining.
Director Amanda Milius, in her feature-length debut, proves more than a quick study. She distills reams of material into a nail biter of a documentary, one every American should watch.
The peaceful transfer of power is part of the country’s political fabric, but “Plot” suggests something more sinister played out four years ago.
The story officially begins with Rep. Devin Nunes. The California Republican smelled a Beltway rat early in President Donald Trump’s first year in office, and he was right virtually every step of the way. Nunes saw the early attacks on the new president, an orchestrated assault that grew into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.
Nunes feared the worst – an inside job against a duly elected president.
He was right, except fellow politicians and the media savaged him in ways that truly frighten. And “The Plot Against the President” has the receipts.
Milius, daughter of iconic filmmaker John Milius, turns a crush of talking head snippets into a seat-clutching affair. Even if you know the story unfolding you’ll be transfixed during the film’s second half. Up until then, Milius meticulously sets the stage, letting insider players detail how the hoax began.
The building block sequences are smartly arranged, but at times feel a bit wonky. That might have been unavoidable, but Milius’ keen eye for composition makes these moments pop anyway. She blends shrewdly chosen stills with artfully framed videos to capture the sting in action.
Is there a better term to describe what Trump faced in his first and potentially only term?
Mike Flynn wasn’t “acting as an agent of Russia.” Read the extraordinary memos showing how Comey FBI debunked Trump-Russia collusion in January 2017 but officials let the probe carry on for two more years anyway. https://t.co/SD2jstkG3m
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) March 12, 2020
The first third of “Plot” revolves around Gen. Michael Flynn, who clashed with former President Barack Obama as well as Beltway insiders. He craved real change, hoping to streamline intelligence agencies for greater efficiency and fewer calamitous mistakes.
The film name checks the “weapons of mass destruction” debacle and the fraudulent narrative tied to the Benghazi terrorist attacks.
Flynn’s mission, the film says, put a juicy target on his back. His enemies acted quickly to take him out. “Plot” says the Trump White House did itself, and Flynn, a disservice for obliging. The so-called “Deep State,” smelling blood, pushed forward with their “Plot.”
Enter the fraudulent Steele Dossier, taken as gospel by most of the media.
RELATED: Hollywood Resistance Can’t Quit the Russia Collusion Hoax
The documentary leans on a few anonymous sources early on, their silhouettes blurred in dystopian fashion. The rest of the film employs more traditional sources, including Nunes’ inner circle and a player we’ve seen too little of until now.
Kashyap “Kash” Patel mostly labored in the background as a National Security official and key Nunes aide.
Not here.
Patel’s fascinating, behind-the-scenes commentary fleshes out the “Plot” in ways that help the puzzle pieces snap into place.
Important Film: Amanda Milius explains how @PATPmovie exposes the greatest political scandal in our country’s history and why it is important for all Americans. Watch it at https://t.co/p6JifeK4SD. #MAGA #AmericaFirst #Dobbs pic.twitter.com/GZoz2DN8gv
— Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) October 23, 2020
Team Milius used a few curious sources to support its overarching themes. New media journalist Mike Cernovich seems like an odd choice initially, especially when he discusses FISA matters better explored by those with deeper backgrounds on the subject.
Yet Cernovich grasps the modern media landscape better than most, and his later observations prove eye-opening.
Even better? Richard Grenell, currently the special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations, speaks with authority and wisdom, particularly when he talks about the need for government transparency.
“The Plot Against the President” could have been two, even three, hours long had it focused more heavily on corrupt media reportage and pop culture’s role in the Russian hoax. Milius shares just enough damning headlines, and late-night snippets, to make her point,
The press’ hard-left biases explain why the last three-plus years happened like they did.
Read the explosive declassified footnotes from the Horowitz report revealing that the FBI was warned that Christopher Steele’s dossier contained Russian disinformation. https://t.co/DILNxJnfiH
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) April 10, 2020
Another filmmaker might have gotten bogged down with the details behind the hoax. Milius isn’t bowed by the task at hand. In fact, the final half hour plays out like a thriller, with the film’s frisky score punctuating one devastating reveal after the next.
Audiences will be aghast that neither the reporters who pushed the false narrative, or the Beltway insiders who made it all possible, haven’t faced any serious repercussions for their role in the “Plot.”
Yet.
This documentary is all we have to hold them accountable from a pop culture perspective, at least for now.
HiT or Miss: “The Plot Against the President” wouldn’t be the most subversive documentary of the year had the media done its job.