George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck is a masterful character study that is also a taut thriller.
In 1954, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy had much of America in a state of fear and panic.
McCarthy had made it his mission to prove there were Communist spies and sympathizers in the government, military and media.
CBS newscaster Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) knew he was going into the lion’s den when he decided to expose McCarthy’s methods on his show See It Now, a kind of ’50s Dateline or 60 Minutes.
It was Murrow’s uncompromising ethics and bravery that helped topple McCarthy’s witch hunt.
Clooney who co-wrote and directs Good Night also stars as Murrow’s producer Fred Friendly in what is a beautifully understated performance.
But the movie belongs to Strathairn, who does an amazing impersonation of Murrow, but also explores the man’s passion for truth in broadcasting.
Murrow didn’t just have to contend with McCarthy and his minions, but with CBS chairman William S. Paley (Frank Langella), who kept threatening to fire both Murrow and Friendly at the insistence of advertisers.
What makes Good Night so eerie and powerful is that Clooney shoots through the smokey haze of the board rooms where the ashtrays overflowed. It really is as if the audience is eavesdropping on conversations.
The thriller part of Good Night emerges when McCarthy begins his smear campaigns against Murrow and associates.
Keeping the film in black-and-white was a great idea because Clooney chooses to use actual footage of McCarthy rather than have someone play him.
No one could be as effective in condemning McCarthy than the man himself.
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