All the President’s Men is one of the best political thrillers ever made, but as the movie turns 50, it's become completely irrelevant.

On April 9, 1976, All the President’s Men arrived in theaters. Based on the book by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the film depicts their breaking of the Watergate scandal, as well as the ensuing coverage which led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in August 1974. Coming out just a few years after the events it depicts, All the President’s Men was a spectacularly timely film when it debuted, and 50 years later it remains a masterwork of directing, acting, and writing.

Yet in the era of President Donald Trump, the messages of All the President’s Men are neither applicable nor relevant. Instead, they represent a bygone chapter in American history no more relatable to current events than films depicting the Civil War or our revolution.

All the President’s Men begins at the Watergate Hotel, where five men are arrested for burglarizing the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. Bob Woodward (Robert Redford), a relatively inexperienced reporter for The Washington Post, is sent to the local courthouse to cover the case for what seems like a routine assignment. Spotting a high profile attorney at the hearing, and learning some surprising details about the burglars' history with the CIA, Woodward suspects more is going on.

From there, Woodward teams up with his colleague Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman). As the two dig deeper, they uncover connections between the burglars and the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, which is working on getting Richard Nixon a second term. The more Woodward and Bernstein dig, the higher the connections go, up to and including people working directly in the White House for Nixon........

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