While it’s safe to presume that political ideologies have often led to disagreements and hard lines between classmates, colleagues, and family members to the point that countless stories will feature “black sheep” liberal relatives in conservative families or conservative characters are positioned as the antagonist of a tale, there was typically a commonality found in patriotism, even as the perspective on what that means differs. To support one’s country means being aware of its failings and still striving to make it better. In the near-250 years of the democratic republic that is the United States of America, there have been many tests to our collective foundation and, among the biggest, is the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of the 37th president of the United States, Richard Nixon, which took effect August 9th, 1974. This act is largely attributed to the journalistic efforts of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who would go on to write the non-fiction book All the President’s Men, which would later be adapted by screenwriter William Goldman (The Princess Bride) and directed by Alan J. Pakula (Klute; Sophie’s Choice). The film, also titled All the President’s Men, would go on to win four Academy awards (Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Art Direction, and Sound) and has carved itself a solid foothold in cinema history for its stirring depiction of government corruption and the fourth estate that seeks to keep it in check. Now, for the first time, Warner Bros. Pictures Home Entertainment releases All the President’s Men in 4K UHD with HDR along with legacy features and two brand-new featurettes, inviting audiences new and old to experience the tension of a time when it seemed like graft and election interference was enough to halt an administration.
June 17th, 1972: Several men are caught having broken into the Watergate Hotel, believed to have been in the process of bugging the office of Larry O’Brien within the Democratic National Committee headquarters. As several members of The Washington Post try to deduce what happened, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) heads to the courthouse to find out who is defending the plaintiffs only to learn that someone is footing the bill for their defense. As he continues to investigate, fellow journalist Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) works his own connections and the two end up collaborating until they’re officially assigned to take things further. What neither realizes is just how deep the investigation will go or how dangerous it may become.
The following 4K UHD home release review is based on a retail copy provided by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
With this being a 4K UHD edition of a 50-year-old film, we’re going to begin by addressing the new elements. First off, for the folks who enjoy or hold onto slip covers, the design for President’s Men is a smart and delicate design. There’s a prominently displayed still from film at the bottom showing Woodard and Bernstein at a keyboard from the scene where the two communicate via keyboard having learned they’re being surveilled with the name of the film above them and the co-stars’ names above that. It’s a fairly simple in design, however, the detail that stands out on the slip versus the regular liner is the reflective coating used on the otherwise black background which, when positioned correctly, reveals newspaper print. It’s there on the liner, but far less apparent. When one considers that President’s Men is as much about the tenacity of the fourth estate as it is about these two men, the almost surprise method of depicting their words on the slip is not only dramatic and dynamic, it highlights what makes the film so powerful. It’s a bit of a shame, frankly, that the liner is less resplendent. The slip only matters to some while the restoration itself matters to all.
The included press release offers no information on the process used to for the 4K UHD edition, so there’s no way of knowing what materials were used, their sourcing, or the process of restoration — elements which would go a long way in appreciating the final version. That said, from a technical standard, the bitrate is all over the place and rarely steady. When it is steady, it holds in the range of 70 Mbps while darker sequences (such as one’s with Hal Holbrook’s Deep Throat) hit in the 80-90s, whereas wider shots (such as the wide shot of Woodward and Bernstein pouring over records in a library) tend to drop into a range of 40 Mbps. There’s no apparent dip in quality in either the video or audio presentation, but the max bitrate on a Blu-ray is 40 Mbps, which means that there’s a significant portion of the film that’s only marginally improved from the previous Blu-ray. The film itself doesn’t appear to be overly treated with plenty of visible grain and cinematographer Gordon Willis’s (The Godfather trilogy; The Parallax View) natural tones kept appropriately balanced throughout, so there’s no reason to complain — it’s just worth noting. On the bright side, the depth of color via HDR does two wonderful things: it infuses more mystery within the scenes with Deep Throat as the dark shadows enhance Holbrook’s barely visible visage and the slight glean we observe from his eyes and skin through the limited light the actor’s afforded and the bright-yet-natural tones of the Washington Post bullpen and offices instill a sense of clarity and prosperity. To be precise, the set design and art direction of The Washington Post is full of whites, yellows, and oranges, with the lens often capturing activity at a distance so that we see as much of the bullpen as possible. The HDR not only ensures we can observe greater detail (like Woodward’s corduroy suit), but the presentation of the bullpen which appears to signify the light by which lies shall be disinfected to reveal the truth.
There are four legacy featurettes included and two new ones, “All the President’s Men: The Film and its Influence” and “Woodward and Bernstein: A Journalism Masterclass.” Both running just under eight minutes, the two new features allow audiences to listen to decorated journalists discuss their reaction to and their view of the legacy of the film. Including people like Jake Tapper makes sense, seeing as he’s an accomplished journalist and author himself, though there’s a bit of hypocrisy as well seeing as Tapper has been known to do research on a subject and hold that for his books rather than ensuring potentially volatile and significant information gets out in a timely fashion. This is the difficulty of a journalist becoming an author (putting salacious details out ahead of a book release sells fewer books), yet, within the context of the film, Woodward and Bernstein are depicted as truth-seekers first, not profiteers, which makes the inclusion of someone like Tapper odd. This isn’t to imply that President’s Men doesn’t have a legacy worth confirming and exploring, it’s just that, in the spirit of the film and its message, journalists are meant to serve the people by confronting lies and holding them accountable, not serving themselves and becoming a cog in the political machine. We have enough grifters and spineless cowards in the press pool who refuse to push back or offer support to their fellows, we don’t need more.
Amid its many note-worthy aspects, from critical accolades to perceived journalistic excellence, Pakula’s film was also entered into the National Film Registry in 2010 for being, “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” according to the included press release for the 4K UHD edition. One can clearly see why when watching the film. As mentioned above, Pakula incorporates several wide shots in the film, often in places in which audiences don’t expect them, such as the bullpen. If Woodward and Bernstein are having a discussion, the expectation is that we’ll be right there with them as they discuss whatever aspect they’re going over. Instead, we’re kept at a distance with the bullpen taking the focus. Sometimes the bullpen is active, sometimes not, but it’s always lit the same, making it difficult to discern day or night when the characters are there. This conveys the significance of journalism as something that never stops because there’s always a story to uncover, some mystery to unravel. Similarly, Pakula uses long shots, too, an extended take without cuts so that we, the audience, feel the energy of the moment whether it’s as simple as two people in a car traveling from one place to another or moving through a space. Cutting keeps the attention on the dialogue while the absence of a cut grounds what’s happening for the audience as a real-time thing, which also generates a sensation of unpredictability. There’re no gun fights, no traditional chases, no moments of expected thrills in this political mystery adaptation, yet, through moments like these, we can’t help but lock ourselves into the story when it’s just one conversation after another. Strangely (or not), President’s Men does feel antiquated in the current political era in which this scandal was enough to bring down a presidency, but worse choices by the current administration (despite convictions) didn’t achieve the same. It’s odd that this should be viewed as partisan (I’m an Independent) when the sanctity of our institutions is what serves as the foundation for life in the United States. If one deems it lawful to deny due process for anyone within the borders of the country, it’s not a far cry to remove that right for all which undermines the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. If we allow federal officers to breach the borders of a home for some, there goes the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, the journalists who may look up to Woodward and Bernstein don’t push back on obvious breaches or defend their fellow journalists who are being insulted during the gaggle or an official briefing, for what? To maintain access? To stay in good favor? If the legacy of President’s Men is one of journalistic integrity, where does that exist today? And why does it feel only upheld by local journalists?
Movies are intentionally manipulative. As audiences, we’re aware of this. They are manufactured entertainment, telling a specific story as they try to incite a specific reaction. One should feel outrage at a government trying to manipulate the law for personal gain and one should feel worry for individuals trying to uncover the conspiracy at work. That All the President’s Men is based both on a non-fiction book and true story that has its authors as the protagonists makes its message about journalistic integrity and a citizen’s right to know the truth about its government should give the audience at least a moments pause. Why? Because it’s important to recognize that we’re meant to view them as heroes and their actions as heroic. The film successfully achieves that, however, it also reveals the depth of corruption that’re allowed to permeate the various levels of government. As the Epstein Files demonstrate, their slow trickle illuminating just how widespread the web of villainy is throughout the world in terms of child trafficking, murder, and governmental influence, there are proper villains in the world and so many regular people didn’t attempt to stop them. But when the best time to prevent tragedy has passed, the next best time is right now for we’re not going to be saved by superheroes or masked vigilantes with tragic backstories, but by regular people with a desire to do right, regular people who understand the power of ink and sunlight on lies and darkness. All the President’s Men highlights who we could be and continues to show us the way, even if we know it’s all designed to do so.
All the President’s Men 4K UHD Special Features:
- *NEW* All the President’s Men: The Film and its Influence (7:56)
- *NEW* Woodward and Bernstein: A Journalism Masterclass (7:36)
- Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire
- Telling the Truth About Lies
- Out of the Shadows: The Man who was Deep Throat
- Jason Robards on “Dinah!”
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital February 17th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Warner Bros. Pictures All the President’s Men webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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