Ink

Danny Boyle brings his signature kineticism to Ink, an adaptation of James Graham’s play about how the British tabloid The Sun turned print journalism into a sensationalistic, capitalistic enterprise. The film recalls Martin Scorsese’s approach in Goodfellas (1990) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), cleverly immersing the viewer in the perspectives of some deplorable people so the audience can understand the allure. But in the end, it’s an exposé and origin story about the extreme biases and profit-minded drives that have degraded the so-called free press’ integrity. The thrilling experience of watching Ink is undeniable; it’s dynamically shot and well acted by a terrific cast. However, the Netflix production has drawn controversy for using AI in a few scenes, which, ironically, represents a similar kind of financially motivated shortcut that brings the production’s righteousness into question and invites accusations of ethical hypocrisy.

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