A Chapter of post- WWII America

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2006)

Director and co-star George Clooney's take on Edward R. Murrow's tilt with Senator Jospeh McCarthy is as understated as it is inspired. The red menace and the scare of the early fifties could've been played up for a more visceral tone but was instead,played in a sober,almost matter-of-fact manner. The usage of black and white filming also gave this some level of era authenticity.
Strong,measured performances by David Straithairn(as Murrow,brilliant),Clooney,PAtricia Clarkson,Robert Downey jr.,Frank Langella,Jeff Daniels and Reed Diamond,stapled by a smooth jazz soundtrack creates a mood that is at once sober,chilling,and yet somehow reassuring and nostalgic. It is a telling chapter in America's history,vis-a-vis the Media and Government. Worth seeing for the student of American history,Government,free speech and the Cold War of any age.