Clooney Proves to Be an Observant and Urgent Filmmaker Recreating Murrow-McCarthy Showdown

Rating: 8/10 (12 December 2005)

David Strathairn's uncanny impersonation of legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow is the centerpiece of George Clooney's sophomore venture as a feature film director. Granted it comes across a bit like a stylized civics lesson on free speech and responsible journalism, the movie is also sharply focused and extremely evocative in recreating the claustrophobic atmosphere of TV journalism in the 1950's. It's obvious that Clooney did his homework as you see all the details of the production from the smoke-filled sets to the extensive use of historic video from that period, whether it's Murrow's "Face to Face" program or the Congressional hearings identifying possible Communists.
Shot in crisp black and white by Robert Elswit, the story co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov is driven by the infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist witch-hunts when in 1953, McCarthy bullies the US Air Force into discharging one of its young officers based on a vague allegation that the man's father was a leftist. This outrages the otherwise reserved Murrow who, with the assistance of producer Fred Friendly, uses their CBS News program "See It Now" to expose McCarthy's egregious act. Of course, this brings down the heat of the brass at the network, in particular, president William Paley, but Murrow and Friendly are allowed to continue, even allowing McCarthy to respond to the allegations.
Clooney smartly uses archived footage of McCarthy rather than cast an actor to play the ruthless senator, but he has assembled a top-notch cast to fill out the remaining roles. Frank Langella brings his trademark authoritative malevolence to the intimidating Paley but with hints of humanity that make him seem more vulnerable. Clooney himself takes on the rather pedestrian role of Friendly with his usual panache. Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson easily play secretly married CBS News co-workers, but their subplot is dispensable. Jeff Daniels makes a welcome return as a mid-level CBS executive trying to convince Murrow to pursue the relatively safe target of Joe Kennedy.
There are in-studio performances by jazz singer Dianne Reeves that act like a chorus to the story, but as expert as her singing is, these are the only false steps the film makes. The film's most intriguing performance actually comes from Ray Wise as CBS anchor Don Hollenbeck, displaying a frozen smile and fragile psyche as a powerful New York Post columnist regularly accuses him of being a Communist sympathizer. The movie, however, belongs to Straithairn in an elliptical performance that shows Murrow's evolving position between drags of his constant cigarettes and to Clooney who has directed a piercing history lesson that does not ambitiously portend any present-day relevance. Yet, the message that we should not confuse dissent with disloyalty rings just as true today.