All the President's Men (1976)

Alan J. Pakula treats investigative journalism with the procedural rigour of a forensic autopsy, focusing on the gruelling legwork behind breaking the Watergate break-in. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman navigate echoing newsrooms, shadowy underground car parks and cross-referenced library check-out slips to trace executive corruption to the highest office. It stands as an enduring tribute to archival verification, proving that systemic conspiracies unravel through persistent telephone calls and paper trails rather than dramatic gunfights.