‘The Post’ Movie Review: Steven Spielberg Spins a Lean and Mean Fourth Estate Yarn

Something of an origin story/prequel to “All the President’s Men,” Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” tracks the moment that the Washington Post transformed from a cozy regional publication to a journalistic powerhouse that would take on — and eventually take down — the government.

While the screenplay by Liz Hannah (“Guidance”) and Josh Singer (“Spotlight”) doesn’t always slip in necessary exposition in the most graceful way, it nonetheless offers suspense and rich characterizations to an all too timely examination of the importance of a free press and of the constant obligation to speak truth to power.