George Clooney's second, much feted, turn behind the camera tells the story of CBS broadcaster Ed Murrow (David Strathairn) and how he changed the course of American history. But go in expecting a masterpiece and you may emerge underwhelmed. Something is missing from this story and it's not till the end that you realise what it is.
Murrow took on the ferocious anti-communist Joe McCarthy when the latter was at the height of his powers - and won. Between October 1953 and the spring of 1954, Murrow used the TV show See It Now to put the Wisconsin senator on trial. Murrow risked his career (and the wrath of the network sponsors) to expose a bully no one else dared confront.
Clooney (who, as well as directing, co-wrote the script and plays one of Murrow's colleagues) avoids any juicy insights into our hero's home life - Murrow, after all, believed all American citizens had a right to privacy. The focus, instead, is on his way with words. The broadcaster (beautifully played by Strathairn as a cross between Jimmy Stewart and a weary vampire) is shown to have a dry wit.
Huge chunks of the film are also taken up by his sternly sonorous speeches (it begins, and ends, with him up on stage). Murrow wound up being dumped by CBS for offering "civics lessons" instead of entertainment. Fifty years on, Clooney seems convinced a good talking to is exactly what we need.
Unfortunately, the use of intelligent speeches isn't, of itself, intelligent. By saturating the film with the journalist's rhetoric, Clooney reduces its power. TV can and should "teach ... illuminate ... and even inspire", declares Murrow just before the credits role. But I'd heard so much of his voice by this point that he could have been reciting lines from Star Trek.
You never quite feel you know this man. Shakespeare (quoted several times in the film) gave us " histories" that went up close and personal. He also served up heroes who were full of flaws. The only criticism levelled at Murrow is that, when he had the chance, he failed to defend the reputed Soviet spy Alger Hiss. But since Hiss's innocence has now been called into question, even that "failure" now casts Murrow in the best possible light.
Reviewers have described this high-minded, low-budget picture as the antithesis of a fluffy Clooney vehicle such as Ocean's 12. But Good Night and the heist adventure have something crucial in common. One instructs, the other indulges - but both ultimately treat the audience like kids.
Thanks to some superbly subtle acting, neat quips, luminous black-and-white cinematography and a timely message about the politics of fear, this remains a very good film. If Clooney had even half as much respect for the viewer as he does for Murrow, it could have been great.
Good Night, And Good Luck.
Cert: PG
