Shows how far network TV news has fallen

Rating: Null/10 (7 April 2006)

This is a quiet film about a particularly vicious and scary time in US history, the McCarthy era. David Strathairn is Edward R. Murrow the TV newsman who challenged Senator Joe McCarthy on his show.
The film is interesting because you see the substance behind TV reporting of the time versus the shallowness of today. No one on contemporary network TV comes even close to the sophistication and intelligence of Murrow, not even 60 Minutes which is probably the most thoughtful news show today. Which I guess is the main point of the film; it's an indictment of the current state of TV news reporting which is biased, dumbed-down and entirely without depth.
Strathairn and the supporting cast are all excellent, especially Robert Downey Jr. George Clooney directs and plays Fred Friendly, the co-producer of Murrow's TV show.
I liked this film a lot. It is very low key and quiet but makes its point. You will also get to see a black and white film and be exposed to the machinations of network TV in the 1950s. If you already detest the stupidity of network TV news, this movie will put the final nail in the coffin.