Features
2 December 2005
Volume 118, Number 9
The Movie Guru
by Brandon Athey
Features Editor
With his second directorial effort, “Good Night, and Good Luck,” George Clooney has proven that he is as much of a force to be reckoned with behind the camera as he is in front of it. While not a major box office success, Clooney’s directorial debut, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” showed his potential behind the camera and is a minor masterpiece. However, with “Good Night, and Good Luck,” the former “E.R.” star proves that not only is he capable of making one of the best American movies in recent years, but he has the promise of becoming one of the best American directors if he continues to make films that are as socially and politically relevant. I can now forgive him for nearly destroying the “Batman” franchise.
While watching the film, I found myself thinking of Clint Eastwood’s career and how, like Clooney’s two efforts as a director, he makes films that “think outside of the box,” so to speak. After seeing “Good Night, and Good Luck,” I have much more respect for Clooney than before and I look forward to his next directorial effort.
I seem to imply that the greatness of the film is because of Clooney. He is only a small part of what makes “Good Night, and Good Luck” a great film. The cast, which includes Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey, Jr., and Frank Langella, is pitch-perfect. However, character actor David Strathairn does Oscar-caliber work as 1950s CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow. Although it is a strong possibility that Joaquin Phoenix will get the prize for “Walk the Line,” Strathairn’s performance is among the best of his career, which includes “L.A. Confidential” and numerous John Sayles movies such as “Eight Men Out.”
The film chronicles Murrow’s efforts to topple the invasive and manipulative Senator Joseph McCarthy. For those who do not know much about this particular period in American history, McCarthy was a Republican senator from Wisconsin who unleashed his paranoid anti-Communist slant upon the United States and accused numerous powerful individuals, ranging from politicians to movie stars, of being Communists. Thousands of careers and reputations were needlessly destroyed because of McCarthy’s “witch hunt.”
What makes Clooney’s depiction of McCarthyism so relevant and necessary is that it reminds viewers of a time when journalism was about standing up for or against issues. This is a major difference from today’s age of mass media overload, when it seems that all journalists care about is getting the highest Nielsen ratings or selling the most magazines. Murrow’s rally against Senator McCarthy was not mere sensationalism; it was a call to arms for America to form an educated opinion on an important issue and examine its troubles. Not only did Murrow risk his career to give his viewers pertinent information, but the careers and personal lives of his associates and CBS as well. He was not some mere yellow journalist muckraker; Murrow knew the importance television could play in bringing information to the masses. Like Woodward and Bernstein in the 1970s, Murrow fought against corrupt individuals in power and tried to do what he felt was right, an admirable trait not often found in today’s cynical society.
Because of Clooney’s and Strathairn’s efforts in bringing a look at a somewhat overlooked journalist to the big screen, they have helped create what may be one of the best films of the year, if not the most important. For this reason, I give “Good Night, and Good Luck” 4 stars (out of 4).
