Demanding movie.

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2006)

This movie has a certain expectation level of it its viewers. It demands that you know or have some understanding of the 50's and the political and sociological sentiments and tenor of the era. If you don't know or care to know, you won't get far with this film. For those that do, then this movie is outstanding. Great performances, coupled with a taut, almost austere script, makes this film engaging and powerful. Having worked in a newsroom, the writers artfully re-created the passion and mechanics of putting together a newscast, along with the tension of how to make news viewable and correct at the same time. More to the point, the inital story of the Air Force serviceman being summarily expelled from the military for his supposed political beliefs set the tone for the entire movie probably better than any narrative the writers could have invented. I may not accept the political slant which the movie is trying to deliver necessarily, but that still doesn't disqualify it, in my view, from being regarded as an excellent endeavor.