"You know it occurs to me we might not get away with this one."

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2006)

If you were a kid growing up in the 1950's (as I was), certain impressions remain with you to this day. I was only three years old during the months of 1953/54 depicted in this film, so I don't have first hand memory of Edward R. Murrow's broadcasts. However the paranoia of Communism remained for the remainder of the decade, and with it came the "duck and cover" air raid drills and canned food storage drives aimed at keeping children safe at their elementary or parochial schools. Imagine being a kid and wondering if the Commies might be sending their warplanes to America to drop bombs on us. Replace that fear today with the threat of international terrorism, and it appears that times haven't changed that much.
"Good Night and Good Luck" plays as a unique microcosm of American life during the '50's. Smoke filled rooms and drinks after work were about as natural as breathing. David Strathairn gives an incredible performance as Murrow, made all the more remarkable for his virtual lack of emotion. I'm sure that at some time in his life the newsman must have cracked a smile, but you would never know it here. With dedication of purpose and carefully chosen words, Murrow's mission is to expose the truth, with courage and principle.
Lately I've been getting a retro '50's fix of era TV Shows, movies, and commercials, and this movie supplies a well integrated blend of the politics, news and commercialism of the time. What it does best though is explore one man's battle against narrow mindedness. On that score, it's a classic real life story that can help us all learn how to agree to disagree.