THE MOVIE: “Good Night, and Good Luck” THE DIRECTOR: George Clooney THE STARS: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella A battle waged half a century ago between legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow and Commie-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy is the subject of director George Clooney’s second feature (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” being the first) and, boy, is it ever a superb piece of work. Named for Murrow’s famous sign-off, the film is rendered in black and white with a smoke-filtered production design that pays meticulous attention to historic detail.
Clooney’s film is set in the 1950s, but the issues it tackles — constitutional rights, government-sanctioned mass hysteria, media ownership and its dubious role as a political watchdog — may as well have been ripped from today’s headlines. Clooney wisely wastes no time delving into the principal players’ backgrounds or the genesis of McCarthy’s witch-hunt, but even those with just a passing knowledge of history should be able to follow along. McCarthy’s crusade is in full swing when Murrow (David Strathairn in perhaps the finest performance of his stellar career) decides to take the junior Senator from Wisconsin to task over his tyrannous tactics. Predictably, Murrow is branded a communist sympathizer, setting up a showdown on the CBS news program “See it Now,” that ultimately leads to McCarthy’s downfall.
Strathairn’s performance is the film’s highlight, but it would be unjust to discount the amazing work of his supporting cast. Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson are terrific as a husband and wife forced to conceal their marriage because of CBS rules forbidding workplace romance (a sign of the oppressive times). Frank Langella and Jeff Daniels flex solid in limited roles as network brass, and Ray Wise shines as red-baited CBS anchorman Don Hollenbeck. (Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language. Running time: 90 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 7, 2005. Read the original PDF.