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Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2006)

I'm not too proud to admit that much of the subject matter of George Clooney's GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK was over my head. I just never learned much about newsman Edward R. Murrow or his fight against witch-hunting junior senator Joseph McCarthy. The best thing I can say about the film, though, is that it made me want to learn more. It's a rare film indeed that has the gumption to speak over the heads of it's audience, but still bait them into discussion and further research. Clooney manages to pull this feat off through sheer artistic invention. This film is glorious to behold, presented in a rich black-and-white palate that suits the story perfectly. The fact that every character is constantly smoking only heightens the stylishness of the film, as Clooney knows precisely how to shoot smoke as an almost mystical and foreboding presence. Another great asset the film has is that marvelous character actor, David Strathairn. His Murrow is a wonder: intelligent, plain-speaking and bold on the air, introspective, compassionate and witty off the air, and amazingly charismatic at all times. His battle of wits with Senator McCarthy is captivating. McCarthy is not portrayed by an actor, but rather by himself, via real archive footage of the famous Communist hunter that shows him as a bully and a coward. Murrow's eventual triumph over him is especially rewarding, as we see the real man flailing when the lights are turned on him during the Army-McCarthy hearings. If the film has a failing, it's in it's insistence on a meaningless subplot, involving a married couple (Patricia Clarkson and Robert Downey, Jr.) who must hide their status from their co-workers at CBS, where marriage between employees is forbidden. While the rest of the film is a staunchly political piece, the addition of a small personal story with no real dramatic heft simply eats up time. This is only a small failing, however, as the rest of the film is an incisive and still-relevant piece of work. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to my local library...