Review: Goodnight and Good Luck

2005/PG/Drama

Set during the 1950's McCarthy Red Hunt, Goodnight and Good Luck chronicles the heroic actions of Edward R Murrow and his team at "See it Now" as they battle TV Executives and the posibility of being black listed or even imprisoned to combat Senator McCarthy and his actions.

What impressed me most about this film was the sheer amount of original footage they were able to use. It was as if Senator McCarthy were a paid actor in this movie. Also, much of the movie was Mr Murrow delivering portions of the show "See it Now," adding more original content to this compelling picture.

While there were a few lines thrown into this movie that appeared to be aimed at the Bush Administrations Gitmo Detention Center, overall, this was a remarkably un-political political film. The makers admitted that they recognize that some of the things that were said could be misconstrued to be purposeful attacks on the current administration, but they simply wanted to tell the story of Murrow vs McCarthy and the courage that it took at the time.

Much like Shattered Glass, though the film was set mostly in a TV studio it was still compelling and captivating. I was disappointed when it was over because I wanted to see more of the tension, more of the planning, more of the history of the exchange between Murrow and McCarthy. Most of the acting was stellar, including the possible weak link of Actor/Director Clooney which was good. He wisely selected a smaller role than other Actor/Directors have in the past (*cough* Gibson *cough* Cosner *cough* Eastwood *cough*). I appreciated that it was shot in black and white and only one of the subplots seemed unnecessary.

If you liked Thirteen Days or even if you didn't, chances are good you won't feel like the 93 minutes you gave to Goodnight and Good Luck was a waste of time.

3.5 out of 5 stars.