Disappointing... A documentary on this history would've been more interesting to watch.

Rating: 4/10 (31 March 2008)

First of all, I actually wanted to watch this movie because I was first introduced about Edward Murrow in my film class -- thought THAT was interesting -- and especially since this movie was nominated for many awards. Maybe because it had too much hype to begin with, or it's the fact that this movie just isn't interesting to be a movie, but I just didn't like it at all.
This movie isn't historically accurate, other than the major points of Murrow against the senator -- because the screenwriters had to come up with the conversations themselves.
I think the transition between using actual TV footage at the time and the actual movie was slightly distracting; it's like did we go from a film to watching a documentary? I'm sure this was historically an important event, at least for TV journalists, but it was just really boring as a movie. If you were alive during that time, you probably already had the back-story and found the movie engaging, but for others, the movie expects one to dive into it knowing all the horror that was going on at the time; this makes it extremely hard for modern viewers to relate and follow.
I just never felt that intensity (other than the look of it, by cheating aesthetics using extreme close-ups) ever for the story. I didn't see McCarthy as this threatening guy as he might have been. I didn't see Murrow as this "most trusted guy on TV"; his character was really boring as he's the same from start to finish (just giving speeches all the time or smoking). Robert Downey Jr. and his wife in the movie, basically a "B" story that they forcefully threw in, wasn't anything special. I just didn't feel anything for any of the characters. The movie felt rushed and undeveloped (it's like let's see the showdown with Murrow and McCarthy already), even though it was also tedious, waiting for something to happen. It's just one of those stories that doesn't translate well on film. A documentary on this would be far superior and interesting.
I recommend NETWORK (1976) way over this - it's a lot more engaging and mind opening showing the corruption of television/corporation. I guess you could see Howard Beale (fictional character), the guy in NETWORK, kind of like Edward Murrow.