A well-crafted film with the guts and suave of Edward R. Murrow himself.

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2006)

To hell with Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and the rest of those fear-mongering, revisionist loud mouths. This is political film-making at its near best. It is a shame more people in the United States didn't see it.
George Clooney has bumped his directorial skills up a few notches here, since his debut with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." It's evident that he pushes the limits of comfort for his cast, crew and himself. The casualty of this risk-taking reveals itself with a few weak scenes and a slightly confused pacing, but overall, "Good Night, and Good Luck" is a far better and cohesive film than most of the tripe that makes its way to the theaters today. Give David Strathairn strong praise, as usual, but hey, he doesn't come close to capturing the signature sturdy voice of Murrow (who could, really?). And his performance lacks the kinetics of Philip Seymor Hoffman's portrait of Capote--but maybe that's not the point here. This isn't a film about Murrow, but one more about an idealism that is long lost in our current cadre of so-called "journalists."
Additionally, the qualities of Cloney's direction go beyond just the mechanics of film-making. There is a crucial story here, one that is chillingly familiar in these dark days of George W. Bush. One that takes strength and vision to tell properly. It is fitting that the film is shot in black and white, because that is how the uber-right wing sees the world. Maybe it will help the point of this film sink in better with them. Good Luck with that, I suppose.