REVIEW: Chappaquiddick tells the true story of one of the most diabolical cover-ups in US history

REVIEW: STEEL yourself in advance for Chappaquiddick, a quietly provocative, poignantly compelling docu-drama chronicling the true story of one of the most diabolical cover-ups in US history.

STEEL yourself in advance for Chappaquiddick, a quietly provocative, poignantly compelling docu-drama chronicling an infamous incident in the annals of American politics.

An incident which ended both the promising life of a young woman and the considerable aspirations of a man who may have been a US President.

The story begins in the late hours of July 18, 1969, where a car driven by Senator Edward ‘Teddy’ Kennedy (played by Australian actor Jason Clarke) suddenly spirals off a bridge and into the water below.

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Chappaquiddick stars Jason Clarke and Kate Mara. Picture: Transmission Films

Kennedy walks away from the accident unscathed, and relatively untroubled.

As he strolls back to a party he has just left, his passenger in the sunken vehicle, a former campaign secretary named Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) is fighting to inhale the last breaths she will ever take.

In the days to follow, several shockingly cynical attempts are made to get the Senator looking like a heroically innocent victim of bad luck.

A sleazy support network acting on the wishes of ailing family patriarch Joseph Kennedy (Bruce Dern) gathers around Teddy to strategise.

Kate Mara perfects the poised look. Picture: Transmission Films

Local connections up and down the chain of justice are called in to enact the cover-up. And what a cover-up it indeed had to be. Even now, it is unbelievable to process how Kennedy took a staggering eight hours to report his part in the tragedy to authorities.

Citing the after-effects of shock, concussion and a neck injury (none of which were ever noted by a physician), Teddy checked himself into a nearby hotel immediately after the accident, taking a nice warm bath and getting a good night’s sleep before deigning to front the cops.

Though every US news outlet was pressing for answers to some very concerning questions, Kennedy was able to evade a grilling due to the vagaries of the news cycle that particular week.

A quiet moment on the couch. Picture: Transmission Films

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As luck would have it, America was pre-occupied just 36 hours after the incident by the sight of their country being the first to put a man on the moon.

This powerful tale of galling entitlement and ruthless insensitivity is filtered through an impressive performance by Clarke, who finds in Kennedy the pathological combination of a man stunned by what he has done, yet stirred by what he must do.

CHAPPAQUIDDICK (M)

Rating: four stars (4 out of 5)

Director: John Curran (Praise)

Starring: Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, Ed Helms, Bruce Dern, Jim Gaffigan, Olivia Thirlby.

Tracks covered leave a man exposed

Originally published as REVIEW: Chappaquiddick tells the true story of one of the most diabolical cover-ups in US history