Highly effective

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2007)

Clooney is interesting. Very interesting. He has become one of the major figures in modern cinema and rightly so. An actor who can produce challenging performances in films such as "Syriana" as well as entertain in films such as "Ocean's 11" deserves such an accolade because they can satiate every audience with artistry and finesse. Now he has moved into the territory of direction and screen writing. He was widely acclaimed with promise when he produced 2002's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and three years later "Good Night, and Good Luck." brought on more and greater acclaim.
And rightly so for this film is a spectacular effort from Clooney. As a writer, he, in conjunction with Grant Heslov, has produced an intricate script. It is well designed with interesting characters, clear themes and genuine drama. As an actor he delivers a fine performance, possibly superior to the one he delivered in "Syriana". He manages to create a believable character - a producer whose thoughts can be seen by the audience in such a way as to give them a glimpse of the cacophony of emotions that are bubbling up inside of him but maintain a certain mystery - as a well as a man who has genuine camaraderie with the major players with his colleagues. And as a director, Clooney has made a bold statement, a fine film and a stylish piece of art.
Indeed, the film is good to look at. The black and white photography maybe regarded as clichéd but it really works. It's natural contrast allows for a greater focus on characters, who are really the drive of the film. It adds to the sense of period, also evoked with the spectacular inter-cutting of archive footage, the art direction and the use of Dianne Reeves' jazz singing which is beautifully done and beautifully sung.
Clooney's work, although startling, required the support of its ensemble. Clooney, as I have said, makes no small contribution and is indeed the stand out of the supporting players which also include excellent performances from Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels and Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson. However, they are all of them overshadowed by a towering performance from David Strathairn. He uses the power of his voice, the strength of his eyes and every muscle in his face to create what is a truly mesmerising performance. He is the only person to look at when he is on screen.
The Oscars were cruel to this film. "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crash" were good films, but the former, in my opinion, was driven largely by hype and the latter by a strong ensemble and script and went onto to claim the major awards despite their failings. "Good Night, and Good Luck." may not be the perfect film but it is superior to those two. The film that should have won was "Capote" but that claimed victory in the Best Actor category at the expense of Strathairn. Whilst Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in that film is staggering, it seems to be inferior to Strathairn. Whilst Hoffman had to master the mannerisms of a well known public figure, Strathairn did not and he was not able to give as much of an emotion driven performance as Hoffman and these seem to be the reasons for the Academy's decision. However, Strathairn's performance is more powerful and packs a greater punch and his moments of emotion are striking.
In years to come, when anniversary editions of this film appear on home entertainment, the film may not be able to say "Academy Award Winner" but is able to remain a very fine film. Its single failing is that, whilst it grips its audience for a great length, it does drag a bit at times but this only a minor complaint when you consider the film as a whole.
The film's major achievement is that it has the courage to question the integrity of a nation through a historical parable during a time when it is needed most and it does this with great style, accomplishment and effect. Not only that, but its message is one that will echo down the ages. We shall not walk in fear of one another.