Veronica Guerin

This tells the story of the infamous Irish journalist murdered in 1996 while trying to expose drug kingpins in Dublin, Ireland. Directed by the usually awful Joel Schumacher with an incredible amount of restraint, Cate Blanchett is luminous as the title character. Supporting performances from the likes of Brenda Fricker and Gerard McSorley round out a fine cast, and a stunning use of music and visual creates for some powerful sequences. Schumacher could’ve taken this one way over the top, but he opts to treat the subject with care and intelligence. Not bad for the guy who killed Batman. Expect Blanchett to be considered for awards at year’s end, and hope that this is a sign that Schumacher’s days of kitschy trash are long behind him. Hey, one can only hope.