Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, the old
adage goes. Or, if it appeared in the hugely influential American
politics mag The New Republic in the late 1990s and carried the
by-line Stephen Glass, don’t believe anything you read. At
all. Shattered Glass tells the story of real-life hotshot hack
Glass (Hayden Christensen), who was fired from the magazine for
making up 27 of the 41 ‘exclusive’ stories he wrote,
including, crucially, an account of ambitious internet hackers
which was picked up by Forbes online and exposed as being a
tissue of falsehoods. The bulk of the story is a quietly gripping thriller, as the
net tightens around Glass and his efforts to save his skin get
more desperate. Billy Ray’s film effectively captures the
atmosphere of paranoia and professional jealousy that pervades
such publications, and includes some impressive performances.
Peter Sarsgaard has received the lion’s share of
critics’ praise, for his reinedin portrayal of Glass’s
gruff editor Charles Lane. But it is Hayden Christensen, released
from the role of Anakin Skywalker who surprises, displaying an
acting talent hitherto unseen. Deliciously charming or incredibly
irritating, depending on your point of view, he is always ready
with smooth-tongued flattery, eyes innocently beaming behind his
spectacles. His exposure offers punters the pleasure of seeing
the slimy sycophant who is constantly making coffee and bringing
the boss bagels finally getting his comeuppance. Ray’s
portrayal of the group dynamics of the small, self-regarding
magazine is the great strength of the film. The abuse of trust
and the ease with which people will let themselves be deceived
indicate the pressure on writers in a highly competitive world to
make their work more attractive and entertaining, even if this
involves playing around with the truth. What’s missing is
any psychological insight into Glass’s fabulism. Why did he
do it? Nobody seems to know, least of all Glass. Employing a
device used in numerous recent films, the director mixes
day-to-day reality with Glass’s fantasies in a manner both
amusing and disturbing. But we are given no insight into how far Glass himself
believes this fantasy: is Glass a slicker-than-youraverage
con-man, a less charming version of Leonardo di Caprio’s
desperate people pleaser? Or is he a deeply disturbed young man
who verges on being a sociopath? There are odd paradoxes in the
liberties apparently taken in telling a ‘true’ story
about a journalist fired for taking liberties with the truth, and
for the most part Ray simply sidesteps the whole issue of fiction
versus fact by refusing to speculate on Glass’ motivation.
In this respect, Shattered Glass is dangerously similar to its
own protagonist – too slick for its own good. With Piers
Morgan still reeling from multiple counts of false reporting,
Billy Ray’s sharp, subtle account of renegade reporter
Stephen Glass seems timely.ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2004
Ambition, lies, and (good) fake photos
