Know What You're Getting Yourself Into....Or Else Be Bored.

Rating: 8/10 (2 March 2006)

In the 1950's Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly looked to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy. Through much controversy they stood up against all odds and brought down the Senator.
George Clooney is at the directorial chair for a second time. After taking on "Confession of a Dangerous Mind" I was eager to see what he had in store for us a second time around. With Good Night and Good Luck, although not perfect by any means, does not disappoint.
Good Night is a movie that has class, which is evident as soon as the bold black and white hits the screen. Good Night has classic film written all over it, and is a new classic film for this era. Clooney knew exactly what he wanted for this period piece, down to every little detail. Such as smoking, which seems to appear in every single scene. The smoke from the burning cigarettes look beautiful on screen, especially with the black and white. Clooney uses actual footage of McCarthy and the trials which blends in with the black and white of Good Night.
Good Night And Good Luck is not for the younger crowd, as it's not very "entertaining". Nothing really seems to happen in it, it's geared towards an older crowd. It's odd to explain how the film made me feel, because even with nothing much happening I felt totally into the film. It could've been the content in the film or they way Clooney presented it. In the final scene, I was surprised to see it come up so fast, but knew it was going to end as soon as that scene was finished. This can't be said for all, since nothing really happens in it, you must be really intrigued by the content to not feel like the picture is dragging on and on...*cough* CAPOTE *cough*
A gripe with the film is the lack of it's supporting cast. With star power such as Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr and Frank Langella it would have been nice to see more of them. Robert Downey Jr. is basically useless, he really serves no purpose other then the fact that he was an actual character in that time period. The same goes for Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella although does serve a purpose and does get more of a spotlight then the others, but he could have used a little more.
Good Night's strongest feature would be David Strathairn's performance. Although, it's no where near as great as Hoffman's Capote, Strathairn seems to finally get his place in the spotlight. After many years of supporting roles, Strathairn is able to break-out and shine in the film and is acknowledged just as well. He gives a powerful performance and if the film was done in any other year, then I would really be amazed by it.
Good Night is a film that Clooney can be proud of. It's a big improvement over Confessions and is one of the better films of the year. You just need to know what's going on with it's story, or you can be lost throughout the film. If you're lost, then you'll ultimately be bored out of your mind. Don't go to be entertained, go to watch a film with a message, and for Strathairn's performance of Murrow.