Review

Having aided many lesser-known filmmakers in the production of much more mainstream projects, George Clooney – along with partner Steven Soderbergh – has proven himself to be a powerful intellectual force in the Hollywood community. Good Night, and Good Luck — his second directorial effort — is not only a tribute to the early days of television journalism and those behind it, but also a startlingly relevant statement about the dangers of unquestioned authority and a touching reminder that one can attempt to make a positive difference in the ways of the world.

David Strathairn confidently portrays legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow. The film, which follows Murrow and his crew during his controversial public battle with Senator Joseph McCarthy, opens with the reenactment of a speech that Murrow delivered in front of the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) in 1958. In this speech, Murrow reprimanded broadcasters for being “fat, comfortable and complacent” and accused television of being a tool used to “detract, delude, amuse and insulate” viewers. Through this speech, Murrow was attempting to inspire some sense of social responsibility in those who control the mighty power that is the television medium. The remainder of the film suggests that Clooney – during a time when many feel that Murrow’s fears concerning the fate of the medium of television have been realized – is attempting to reiterate the important message contained in this speech by displaying and allowing the viewer to admire this noble, courageous and incredibly concerned seminal American icon with a great ethical constitution and idealistic integrity.

Though the story will be familiar to most Americans of a certain age, Clooney and co-screenwriter/actor Grant Heslov manage to add an uncommonly subtle but sharp intensity to the mix when displaying just how jeopardized the careers of Murrow, his producer (played by Clooney himself) and news team were by their choice to cautiously challenge “the young senator from Wisconsin” and his hastily asserted accusations. An appropriately pitch-perfect jazzy soundtrack with vocals by Dianne Reeves (using Rosemary Clooney’s original arrangements) and high-caliber performances from the impressive supporting cast (including Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella, Ray Wise, Matt Ross, Reed Diamond, Tate Donovan and Family Guy matriarch Alex Borstein) are also included.

Indirectly but shrewdly commenting on the current state of the American media machine and promoting the message that apathy is not and/or should not be viewed as the virtue that it too often seems to have become, Good Night, and Good Luck is an important work that should not and probably will not be easily forgotten.

 -- Robert O'Neill