Tense drama starring Hayden Christensen acting without the use of CGI

Still better known as Anakin Skywalker in the trio of prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy, Shattered Glass shows us that Hayden Christensen is really a damn fine actor.

To be fair to him as his material has gotten better in the Star Wars movies so has his performance but here he's been presented with a truly meaty role to get his teeth into.

 Back in 1998 Stephen Glass was at the peak of his journalistic powers, writing for The New Republic magazine. Loved by his co-workers and his management, Glass had an uncanny ability for churning out great story after great story.

When a rival magazine editor is given the task of looking into Glass's latest story he begins to uncover that not all is as it seems.

Based on a true story, Glass himself has written a book detailing his charade, this movie succeeds in making the audience root for a seemingly unsympathetic character.

Glass is a liar of the highest order, his stories are false and he is blatantly lying to every one of his co-workers. But his self-deprecating manner win everybody over to him. When his rival editor (Peter Sarsgaard) starts to uncover the clues that will lead to Glass's downfall we find ourselves rooting for this anti-hero. As the screws are turned tighter it becomes painful watching Glass panic and struggle as his ambition becomes his achilles heal.

For this we must thank the brilliance of Christensen's performance, perfect as the sly yet eager to please newshound.  

Economical and never showy, what could have been rather staid and dull subject matter is turned into a riveting psychological game of cat and mouse thanks to the performances of its two leads and a smart, quickfire script.

A drama full of high-tension that deserves to be rediscovered. There is more to Christensen than the ability to wield a lightsaber.