The film is often sentimental, sometimes brilliant as well as horrifying, and it is intriguing to speculate on what Buuel, whom Trumbo originally wanted to direct, would have made of it.

Although Mr. Trumbo is primarily a screenwriter, screenwriting is only the worst of the film's several failures.

Instead of belaboring ironic points about the "war to end war," Trumbo remains stubbornly on the human level.

Problems aside, there's a cumulative power to the material and an idea that's impossible to ignore.