Edward. R Murrow vs senator Joseph McCarthy

Rating: 6/10 (18 October 2006)

i just watched good night,and good luck,which is about CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and his fight against senator Joseph McCarthy, a junior senator from Wisconsin,during the 1950's.this was a time of hysteria regarding communists and communist sympathizers in America and anyone else who may have had dealings with them.it was basically a time where anyone who was deemed a threat to national security was targeted by senator McCarthy and others in hearings held against them.many of these people lost their jobs or worse based on little or no evidence against them.that is the premise of the movie good night and good luck.it is based on a true story,but you have to take it with a grain of salt as it is biased on the side of Edward R. Murrow and other people who share his view and opinions.obviously it is slanted towards the view of the people who made the film.so you really have to make up your own mind about how accurate it might or might not be.however,as simply a movie,it is very entertaining,with great performances all around from an ensemble cast.it is well directed and shooting it in black and white was very effective.at times however,it was preachy,which was annoying,and i'm still not sure why Murrow ended each broadcast with the words"good night and good luck" and i found that a bit annoying.i would have liked the filmmakers to give an explanation for those words,maybe show the genesis behind them and give them more meaning,put them into context.i'm not saying whether the movie was accurate or not,and can only rate it for it's entertainment value as well as its technical merit.overall,the film was well made, with a good eye for detail of the era,and it had a very authentic feel about it.it was well paced with crisp dialogue and for a drama it was better done than many films of the genre.it was at times engaging,yet not quite riveting.the only other complaint i have is that it could have had more substance and been a bit more in-depth.otherwise,i enjoyed it. 6*