Instead of a conventional biography, "The Loudest Voice" illustrates Ailes' influence and appetites through a series of key moments, from the founding of Fox News — the ultimate act of defiance toward his former NBC bosses — to the Sept. 11 attacks to his visceral response to Barack Obama. Ailes particularly relished that last fight, after insisting that the then-candidate's middle name, Hussein, always be used.Taken together, the episodes demonstrate the way Ailes used his media perch to pursue ideological objectives, steamrolling over anyone who got in his way, and resisting any efforts to constrain him. That included intrusions by News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch (Simon McBurney), ostensibly his boss.Ailes not only protected his turf but commanded intense loyalty from those around him, many of whom turned a blind eye to his reported transgressions. The hostile environment extended not only to his alleged behavior toward female employees but ordering a subordinate to deal with similar allegations against star anchor Bill O'Reilly by paying off an accuser."Look at his numbers," Ailes mumbles. "Just take care of it." (Ailes, who died in 2017, staunchly defended himself in regard to the complaints, as has O'Reilly, but both were forced to leave the network.)Ailes brought the zeal of a true believer to a media operation that bore his stamp down to the smallest detail, telling the more pragmatic Murdoch — who Ailes wasn't above scheming against — "This is our time."After Sept. 11, Ailes is depicted becoming increasingly paranoid. His predatory behavior, meanwhile, is depicted through his domineering relationship with booker Laurie Luhn (a haunting Annabelle Wallis), although even Ailes wife, Elizabeth (Sienna Miller), is managed when she dares exhibit independence or, in his eyes, risks undermining him.Crowe doesn't impersonate Ailes so much as inhabit him, from his padded waddle to his thunderous bouts of anger. At the same time, he conveys the charm the executive could turn on when rallying the troops — most of whom, like a radio host named Sean Hannity (Patch Darragh), owed their lucrative careers to him.The main flaws are structural, to the extent that "The Loudest Voice" is too episodic, skipping over significant interludes such as the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky story — a significant oversight, since that coverage, along with Sept. 11, helped propel Fox to the ratings perch that left Ailes' corporate clout virtually unassailable.Similarly, the fourth episode devotes too much time to Ailes' involvement in local politics by buying his community newspaper. Yes, it underscores his bullying tactics but also proves less interesting than high-stakes brawling with the Obama administration or Murdoch's Australian aides.Executive produced by, among others, Tom McCarthy (&Read More – Source
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