David and Goliath

Rating: 8/10 (13 November 2005)

Senator Joseph McCarthy sought out to bring down communism in the United States in the 1940's and 50's. To rid our nation of people whose ideas could hurt our way of life and well being. The only problem was that anyone could be a communist, you just had to fit the criteria.
In Good Night, and Good Luck, a team of journalists working for CBS News went on a mission to bring down Senator McCarthy. The driving force was broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow (David Strathrain, L.A. Confidential), who believed that what McCarthy was doing was completely unfair. Luckily he had a staff of journalists to back him up. The network reluctantly did so, too.
The movie opens with an award ceremony in Murrow's honor. Because of his dedication to finding out the truth and his journalistic integrity, he was one of the first to stand up for what he thought was right and what was right for the American people. Then the movie goes back to when Murrow got involved with the McCarthy trials.
Murrow gets involved when a man is accused of having communist ties. The evidence is concealed in an envelope that no one is allowed to see. A great scene is when Fred Friendly (George Clooney, Ocean's Eleven) is talking to the military about the contents of the envelope and who has seen what is inside. This conversation just adds fuel to the fire for Murrow the CBS News staff.
In March of 1954, Murrow goes after the primary target, Senator McCarthy himself. He goes right for the throat. Using file footage and documents associated with McCarthy, Murrow comes out saying that McCarthy is a fake and shouldn't be doing what he is doing. It is a disgrace and telling McCarthy, "We will not walk in fear, of one another". Soon after McCarthy sends a message to Murrow saying that someone who is against what he is doing is probably a communist himself. The battle wages on between these two and the rest of the media world.
This is Clooney's second attempt at directing. His debut was Confessions of a Dangerous Mind starring Sam Rockwell as the television game show producer Chuck Barris. Both films have very interesting and unique qualities. Good Night, and Good Luck was filmed entirely in black and white. This gave it a nostalgic look.
The camera shots used were particularly exquisite, especially during the news broadcasts. You would see Strathrain speaking to the camera at an angle and off set you would see what the television camera was recording. It was a brilliant shot. Cinematographer Robert Elswit is no foreigner when it comes to shooting a picture. His prior works include all of P.T. Anderson's films and some other notables like Runaway Jury and Heist.
The Acting was exceptionally good by everyone. Strathrain gives a lustrous performance as Murrow. Clooney as Friendly is at his best. Robert Downey Jr. (Wonder Boys), Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April), Frank Langella (Dave), and Jeff Daniels (Pleasantville) all give great performances to compliment the others.
Good Night, and Good Luck is a great picture that delves into a dark period of our history, the "Red Scare". The title of the movie is Murrow's sign off line, one of the best in television history. It is especially necessary for the time period he lived in. When the world was covered by darkness, he was the voice of security.