Close to Impressive

Rating: 6/10 (29 October 2005)

I should start by saying I don't know all that much about Edward R. Murrow or the McCarthy hearings in general, other than having seen some archival footage over the years. Thus, I was prepared to learn a lot more about the situation from this film. Unfortunately, despite being beautifully photographed, the film really didn't hook me emotionally in the way I was hoping. Here's why:
There's no dramatic tension in the film. The events depicted were fraught with tension, I'm sure, and the actors are asked to convey that fear and uncertainty, but the picture as a whole feels more like a cross between a history lesson and an homage to the 1950s than a living narrative. As result, while it's technically adept and certainly informative for anyone unfamiliar with the events themselves, it doesn't pack the punch I was hoping for from the dynamic trailer.
I suspect the fault here lies with Clooney's direction, which is a shame because he's shown a lot of potential both here and in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. This topic is clearly an incendiary one to tackle, especially during these similarly unnerving times in American politics, so kudos are in order for even being able to get the project off the ground. However, I don't think Clooney has developed the requisite subtlety and confidence in himself as a director to make his point without being obvious.
As a result, we're left with too many cases of telegraphed emotion, wordless ponderances and performances subverted by newsreel footage of the actual events themselves. Another example: the use of period jazz music during scene transitions whose lyrics (though, again, wonderfully performed) hit the emotion of the scene on the head, every time. How much of this is also due to Clooney directing a script he co-wrote is anyone's guess -- if it's a problem on paper, and you wrote it, do you recognize it on film? -- but I feel the material would have been better served by a less heavy hand. It's obvious that everyone involved in the project felt strongly about it, but I think the end result falls short of the galvanizing experience they (and I) hoped for.
*SIDE NOTE* I saw this film in a theater in a predominantly Jewish part of Pittsburgh, and the theater was half-full even during a Saturday matinée in a theater that's double-billing the film. It was an interesting crowd to experience the film with, considering how many Jews were implicated in the McCarthy hearings. The moment footage of McCarthy appeared on screen, I heard rumblings and hushed profanity from the audience behind me. When the lights went up, I sat through the first minute or so of credits and then started to make my exit. Not surprisingly, I was just about the youngest person in the theater. What did surprise me was the fact that most of the other patrons were still seated, contemplating the film as the credits rolled. As someone who's used to being the last person out of the theater during most films, it's obvious that this film packs a punch for a certain audience closer to the material than I am, which means my estimation is worth what it's worth -- one man's opinion.