Alleged is a romantic drama based on events occurring behind the scenes and outside the courtroom of the famous Scopes "Monkey Trial" of 1925. Charles Anderson, a talented young reporter, feels trapped working for his deceased father's weekly newspaper and living in a tiny town (Dayton, TN) in steep decline. Seeing the "Monkey Trial" as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to break into the journalistic big leagues, Charles manages to insert himself into the middle of the "Trial of the Century." Once in the midst of this staged event, however, he is torn between his love for the more principled Rose, his fiancée, and the escalating moral compromises that he is asked to make as the eager protégé of H.L. Mencken, America's most colorful and influential columnist.
Acting
Colm Meaney devouring scenery as the gleefully cynical Mencken.
Production
Convincing 1925 Dayton recreation on what had to be a shoestring.
Director
Tom Hines
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Brian Dennehy had previously played Clarence Darrow on stage; this was his screen farewell to the role before his death in 2020.
The real Mencken's trial coverage invented modern cynical political journalism—this film's central tension mirrors his actual legacy.
US
