How accurate is the version of events depicted in this film? That’s impossible to know, of course, given the character of the personages who stand--or genteelly sit--at the center of this drama. Helen Mirren’s take on Elizabeth II is good, one supposes, though again how could you really tell? The surprising thing is, despite the title, how much this is Tony Blair’s movie, too--and it’s difficult at this remove to accept Blair in the almost entirely good light that shines on him here. (There is, after all, that whole Iraq War thing, which does actually get a slight nod towards the end here.) It does help that Michael Sheen does a terrific job of not just capturing Blair’s persona very well, but imparting him with much of the positive sheen (couldn’t resist) that appears on him here. Aside from those conundrums, viewing the movie strictly on its terms as a story, it’s much easier to say that it delivers an enjoyable, effective, and at times even moving drama. It’s certainly a film worth seeing--just don’t mistake it for a documentary.
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