In the past decade or so, journalists have been represented in increasingly dire and cynical ways on the big screen. But the true story behind Veronica Guerin is so shocking and disturbing, it was sort of a given that her movie would unfold as hagiography.

Guerin was the ace muckraker who began to threaten the Irish mob's stranglehold over the underground heroin trade. She was brutally done in by the thugs whose livelihood she challenged. It's a great story, but director Joel Schumacher, who's probably best suited to kitsch like Phone Booth, feels out of place here. This is a very by-the-books bio, more like a movie of the week than a feature film. There are no surprises and the maniacally manipulative musical score often gets downright grating. Still, the fact that the story is real is moving, with Guerin's untimely death leading to massive legal reforms and a renewed fight against the mob's reign of terror. And Cate Blanchett, without any doubt, delivers another striking performance. Available at Boîte Noire.