'The Post', set in 1971, is the perfect movie for 2018 audiences

The Post is earnest, straightforward, even a little hokey at times -- and I loved nearly every single second of it. The movie, which recounts efforts by the Washington Post to publish leaked documents (known as the Pentagon Papers) that exposed decades of Vietnam war lies

In less deft hands, this film could be dry, even boring -- but Spielberg is such a master storyteller, and he has stacked such a phenomenal cast (including a wonderful Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in the leads) and has seized upon a period story that is deeply resonant to today (particularly issues of sexism in the workplace and the value of the free press) that the movie works as both a crackerjack thriller and a moving piece of political melodrama.

What makes this movie all the more remarkable is how quickly it was reportedly thrown together. Spielberg is such a titan at this point that he can book Streep and Hanks on the fly for a quickie project while he waits out the special effects process for his upcoming surefire blockbuster Ready Player One.

Perhaps it was the urgency with which it was made that helped keep some of Spielberg's more irritating excesses in check. Yes, there are a couple of scenes that are too on the nose, but for the most part, this movie gets so much right about its period and its righteous purpose.

In fact, simply replace Nixon with Trump and this could at times feel like a running commentary on the current war between the White House and the press. When Streep enters the corridors of power in media and is the lone woman in the room, you can't help but think about the #MeToo movement. The movie presents these moments matter-of-factly, because this is what life was like in 1971 and this is what life is like now.

There is a real storytelling ease here, mixed with riveting content: the Washington Post -- at the time struggling to assert its relevance in comparison to the New York Times -- was going public and the printing of the Pentagon Papers could put them in financial jeopardy as well as make them a target for the powerful White House. In addition there are personal loyalties at stake and the weight of what every single decision will mean, not just for the lives of the characters involved, but the future of American foreign policy and free speech. Whew.

In the center of this powerful story are Hanks and Streep, doing peerless work with each other and separately. This is a master class in move star acting. Hanks is lovable as ever as the piss and vinegar editor of the Post, Ben Bradlee, and Streep is a deep well of reserved passion and feeling as the besieged publisher Katherine Graham.

With these two in the driver's seat the audience can't help but be drawn in, and luckily, this is one of those long forgotten stories where there is genuine suspense in terms of how this tale pans out.

But what's most important is that this is a history lesson which underlines the importance of the truth and the people and institutions committed to upholding it at a time when such underlining is both desperately needed and inspiring. Who knows if this film would have landed quite as well at a different time, but for this year -- one full year into the Trump president -- it's more than prescient, it's profound.