GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (George Clooney). 110 minutes. Opens Friday (October 28). For venues and times, see Movies, page 128. Rating: NNN
Rating: NNN
George Clooney ‘s Good Night, And Good Luck is ultimately less satisfying than his debut, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, but equally interesting. Like his first film, it delves into a moment in television history, the confrontation between legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow ( David Strathairn ) and red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 50s.
Clooney plays Murrow’s producer, Fred Friendly, leaving the great starring role of the man who was the face of TV news until Walter Cronkite came along to John Sayles favourite Strathairn.
It’s beautifully crafted – Clooney shot the film in a shallow, busy-field black-and-white that looks like a crisper version of 50s television.
But there’s not a lot of subtlety or drama here. Clooney makes his point about the current state of television news again and again.