Robert Redford, the director, (Ordinary People) has a knack for capturing acertain period of time and giving it an electrical charge. In his newest effort,Redford has come up with one of the most entertaining dramas in recent years. Themovie centers on the quiz show scandals of 1958, broadcast on NBC. The movieexamines how the corruption of quiz shows affects the lives of threecharacters.

Academy Award nominee, Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List) starsas Charles Van Doren, a teacher from Columbia University who becomes champ of theshow, Twenty-One, by easily answering a series of Jeopardy-like questions. Littledid others know that producers actually fed Van Doren the answers.

One ofthe film's highlights is John Turturro (Barton Fink) in one of the most memorableperformances in recent years, as Herbie Stempel, an ex-champ, who after "losing"to Van Doren, decides to blow the whistle on NBC. Rob Morrow also stars asRichard Goodwin, the investigator assigned to check on the authenticity of theshow.

The movie covers the controversial issues occurring at that time,including how the social tension between Jewish people and WASPs was anunderlying cause in the scandal.

This movie is more than your usual drama;it reflects how our society is today and how some aspects will never change. Thefilm is supported by an excellent, well-acting cast, an Oscar-winning director,and a superbly written script by Paul Attanasio.