Shattered Glass – Imprint

Director: Billy Ray
Screenplay: Billy Ray
Based on the article written by: H.G. Bissinger
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Melanie Lynskey, Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn
Country: United States
Running Time: 94 min
Year: 2003
BBFC Certificate: 12

Think of Hayden Christensen, and you’d be forgiven for immediately recalling his portrayal of pre-Darth Vader Anakin Skywalker in two of the Star Wars prequels, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. His performance, particularly in Clones, is often maligned and some may think of him as a bad actor.

I, personally, think he’s far from awful in those films (certainly no more so than some of the actors in the prequels), but whether you think Christensen is good or not in the Star Wars series, there is one film in which he undeniably shows his true acting chops and talent – 2003’s Shattered Glass.

Written and directed by Billy Ray, in his feature film directorial debut, Shattered Glass is based on the true story of journalist Stephen Glass, and his fall from grace when it comes to light that he has fabricated more than half of the articles he has written over a three year period as a staff writer for The New Republic magazine, bringing scandal to the US publication.

Adapted from a 1998 Vanity Fair article of the same name by H.G. Bissinger, Ray’s script is absolutely amazing, as is the film – it’s a really tense, nerve shredding drama, filled with some really strong performances.

The film opens with some text, telling us some facts about the The New Republic magazine – it was founded in 1914, had been a fixture of US political commentary since then and, in May 1998, employed 15 writers or editors, the youngest of whom was Glass (Hayden Christensen).

We first meet Glass wide-eyed looking at political memorabilia, narrating what makes a journalist to him, before he speaks to a class of students at the school where he was taught seven years prior; proclaiming he has written for major publications and is associate editor at The New Republic, “the in-flight magazine of Air Force One”. Spoiler alert: we later learn this this opening pre-credits sequence and those of him speaking to students at a school are imaginary. The titles then play and we’re given an overview of some of the articles Glass wrote.

From the outset, Glass is shown as a captivating, charismatic journalist whom everyone seems to be in awe with. He’s magnetising and takes everyone with him when he tells his stories, all are waiting on his next word.

Slowly, but surely, though, his integrity comes into question, starting with him admitting to a small falsity in one article and editors starting to check up on his facts, but soon unravelling, instigated by an article about computer hacking, and leading to the revelation that he fabricated more than half of the articles he wrote.

The unravelling of his story on a teenage computer hacker plays a central part to the film; we see the fictitious set-up he creates, and the lengths he goes to try to maintain his cover (fake phone numbers, quotes, and a fake website and business card). He’s investigated by online journalists (led by Steve Zahn’s Adam Penenberg) who turn the tables on him and make his editor suspicious. This centrepiece is sensitively acted, tense and utterly gripping and transforms the film from a light, breezy feature, to more of a drama as the net closes in on Glass.

Performances throughout are exquisite; everyone is at the top of their game, but there are two I’d like to mention in particular. First, Christensen. He’s in many of the scenes, for obvious reason, and he is a revelation. Everything from the way he delivers dialogue to his mannerisms show how good an actor he is.

Peter Sarsgaard as magazine editor Charles “Chuck” Lane, is also brilliant, particularly as the story develops, and he plays an increasingly prominent role as he’s appointed editor of the magazine and the full extent of Glass’s false articles comes to light. After he’s appointed as editor the focus of the story also flips; until now it’s been Glass at the centre, now it’s Lane, investigating Glass when he gets a sense all is not right.

The cinematography is wonderful too. The film is shot in an observational style with a lot of quite tight documentary-style shots of characters which reminded me of TV shows like The Thick of It and Veep and the way they’re shot. It makes it feel like we’re watching a documentary at times; which adds to the authenticity for a film based on a true story.

Special mention too for the script; it zips along, plays with time well, that imaginary school talk and other narration from Glass frames sequences throughout the film, and ratchets up the drama as the story develops, whilst also being very funny at times.

There’s also a playful score by Michael Danna, which adds to the joviality of some of the comedic moments and adds class to the rest of the film, and poignancy to the final sequence. It’s a really memorable score that fits the film very well.

Shattered Glass is an excellent based on fact drama. It’s a marvellous character study – of two characters essentially – perfectly acted and scripted, well shot and scored and also provides a strong overview of journalism and integrity. I liked it a lot.

Film:

Shattered Glass is out now on limited edition region free Blu-ray as number 390 on the Australian Imprint Collection. It can be bought direct from the Imprint website.

The transfer is fine throughout, with good detail, but it’s in need of a restoration. There are frequent blemishes , some dirt here and there, and a softness at times. It’s a perfectly fine transfer but could have looked so much better. The sound though is absolutely fine and I had no issues with it.

Special features:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Billy Ray and former “New Republic” editor Chuck Lane
• Evolution and Education — interview with director Billy Ray (2025)
• Every Quote, Every Detail — interview with producer Craig Baumgarten (2025)
• Editorial Integrity — interview with editor Jeffrey Ford (2025)
• 60 Minutes: Interview with the real Stephen Glass
• Theatrical Trailer
• Limited Edition Slipcase

The audio commentary with director Ray and the real Chuck Lane is fascinating and well worth a listen. We get a great overview of sequences, very much scene specific at times with lots of background detail and information about the filming of the film to take away, whilst Lane points out what was real and how sequences, like the party sequence, were close to reality. Lane shares a lot of his own recollections too on working with Glass, at the magazine and of his investigation. Ray interviews Lane on occasion during the commentary to get a bit more background, which provides some very interesting responses. There’s plenty to glean from the commentary which adds background to the real story as well as to the making of the film. 

Evolution and Education is a new 28-minute interview with director and screenwriter Billy Ray, in which he gives an honest overview of the first 12 years of his career. Ray describes Shattered Glass as changing his career. Ray talks about what drew him to the story, the challenges in getting it on screen, the importance of Hayden Christensen in getting the film financed, its release and much more. He’s very gracious and positive about those he collaborated with on the film, which was his feature film directorial debut, and interactions with the real Stephen Glass after the film was released. It’s a brilliant, honest interview.

Up next is another new interview, this time called Every Quote, Every Detail and with producer Craig Baumgarten. It’s another excellent interview, in which Baumgarten shares other times he worked with Ray as a screenwriter early in his career, the genesis of the film, thoughts on several scenes, conversations with people who knew the real Glass, and a lot more besides. It’s another strong piece.

Editorial Integrity is a new 21-minute interview with editor Jeffrey Ford, which gives a good overview of how he started in the industry, his reflections on making the film. I particularly enjoyed a sequence in which Ford talks about the importance of the music. All three of the new interviews are very strong.

A very welcome inclusion is a “60 Minutes” interview with the real Stephen Glass. Running for 12 minutes it takes place five years after the journalist’s career began to unravel. He reveals what led to him fabricating articles, and his crisis of conscience and what drove him – he loved the excitement of people enjoying his stories and wanted to create articles that were “humdingers”. Ex-colleagues are also interviewed including Lane, and we get a sense of some of the articles Glass wrote, including the hacking article that sparked his downfall. It’s a fantastic piece.

Rounding out the extras are a two-minute trailer, which does a good job selling the film.

Shattered Glass is well presented on a limited edition release by Imprint. Whilst the print could have done with a restoration, it’s fine overall, and the excellent film is accompanied by a fantastic commentary, three strong new interviews totalling over an hour and a great archival interview with the real Stephen Glass.

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