Ellsberg wrote in a reminiscence for Modern Maturity magazine that when he heard Kehler speak, "It was as if an ax split my head, and my heart broke open." Spader registers Ellsberg's shock and emotion with touching subtlety, yet immediately we recognize that Ellsberg will soon turn the corner from passivity to deliberate action. We've all seen countless paint-by-numbers depictions of anti-Vietnam peace rallies, most of them so tired that the extras might as well be wearing prefabricated "Vietnam Protester" Halloween costumes; this scene feels fresh and devastatingly personal.

Although "The Pentagon Papers" tackles a lot of fairly dry material with dynamic, creative directing, the filmmakers haven't completely abandoned certain cheesy TV-movie formulas. Claire Forlani, best known for her role as the supernaturally attractive love interest in "Meet Joe Black," plays Ellsberg's supernaturally attractive love interest and eventual wife, Patricia Marx. Marx was a real looker, but Forlani is almost distractingly pretty -- particularly when she's traipsing around in a slip, which she seems to do in an unnatural number of scenes.

Although Forlani's role at first seems limited to a debutante-dove variation on the "Stop all that internationally crucial work and come to bed, honey" theme, when Marx becomes involved with Ellsberg's struggles, her sharp perspectives on the war and her impact on his decisions give Forlani richer material to work with. Her interactions with Spader feel organic and believable, and she has a way of biting her lip and holding back tears that's particularly moving. Still, when she lights a fresh cigarette and hunkers down to read the Pentagon Papers in a man's work shirt and nothing else, the effect is more Victoria's Secret ad than historically weighty moment. Such absurdly sexed-up material not only feels out of place in the story, it undercuts the filmmakers' gains in making Ellsberg feel life-size and familiar to the viewer.

And how much of Ellsberg's story will the average young viewer understand, assuming he or she is unfamiliar with the history of the Pentagon Papers? The damage of overplaying the love story is that it predisposes such viewers to experience this as an exaggerated, fictionalized work. All these situations have been presented before, from ambushed soldiers and slaughtered villagers in Vietnam to the determined renegade fighting against a corrupt system, yet the film is intricately crafted and dynamic enough to chart its own course through familiar terrain. While director Rod Holcomb's creative filmmaking -- a blend of black-and-white scenes, hand-held shots, oversaturated '60s-style footage and genuine news footage of Walter Cronkite reporting on Ellsberg's story -- encourages the viewer to encounter the material as a palpable moment in history, the occasional reliance on goofy TV-movie formulas works against it.

Though some of the dialogue (written by Jason Horwitch) hits a high pitch of self-righteousness, such feverish prose is necessary to accurately reflect Ellsberg's struggle with taking personal responsibility in the face of overwhelming risks. "I may be remembered as a traitor," Ellsberg worries before his trial, but he remains determined to proceed. The film closes with historical footage that packs an undeniable emotional punch -- first a brief clip of the real-life Ellsberg, followed by Dan Rather narrating footage of the evacuation from Saigon at the end of the war, featuring unforgettable images of military helicopters falling into the ocean.

Ultimately, "The Pentagon Papers" (whose cast also includes such established Hollywood actors as Alan Arkin and Paul Giamatti) succeeds in making Ellsberg's internal battles and his eventual call to action feel both palpable and personal. At a time when our leaders arrogantly insist that the outcry against war has no impact on their policy decisions, when the word "treason" is once against bandied about recklessly in reference to everything from free speech to "Give Peace a Chance" T-shirts, Ellsberg's story serves as an important reminder that it is our personal responsibility as citizens to question, to seek thorough information and to root out deception.

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