fantastic performances

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2008)

Let me warn you that the beginning of this film throws so many names at you that you might feel a bit lost. (We all know who Senator McCarthy is, but I bet you don't know the names and jobs of every person who worked at CBS in the 1950's.) Rest assured, if you watch this movie without distractions, you will figure out who is who.
Excellent casting and wonderful acting. David Strathairn has always been great. (Check out his work in Sneakers and The Bourne Ultimatum.) Here, this star gets the chance to shine as the lead character, newsman Edward R. Murrow. George Clooney is a bit too good-looking to play Murrow's producer, but he has the right chemistry on screen with Strathairn. Frank Langella (as CBS chief executive William Paley) has such a powerful presence that viewers immediately sense the intimidation that any CBS employee must have felt whenever they were in the same room as Paley. The tension between Paley and Murrow feels incredibly real.
Although modern actors play the parts of CBS employees, the movie's creators choose to show almost everyone else in authentic archival footage. Real footage of Congressional hearings and of television interviews is blended seamlessly into the film. No actor portrays Senator Joseph McCarthy; he is only seen in archival footage. I was impressed that the movie's creators were able to pull off what must have been a difficult task.
The film also succeeds at transporting viewers into the 1950's. The costumes, the hair, the sets, and the soundtrack are absolutely perfect. The use of music is right on the money.
Too many filmmakers feel that an "important" film has to be at least 2 hours long. Their inflated egos tell them that 90-minute runtimes are only appropriate for teen sex comedies. Too often, they try to fit too much history into a single movie. George Clooney and Grant Heslov do not make this mistake. This movie selects a very specific moment in U.S. history, tells the story very well, and then ends. Ninety minutes was all this movie needed.
I have no complaints about this movie and cannot find any flaws. However, I am not ranking it a "10" simply because I have to be profoundly moved by a drama to give it such a high score. I am glad the writers told the story as accurately as possible, but there are other true stories in history that are more entertaining.