George Clooney has already marked his card as a director of real talent to watch. He also acts in this particular film, but generously leaves centre stage to the superb David Strathairn. A thought-provoking film that is a reminder of how history repeats itself. This film is a salutary reminder that government sometimes needs reminding of what liberty and freedom are all about.
Set in the 1950s and based on true events, Strathairn plays news reporter Edward R. Murrow, who finds himself increasingly uncomfortable with the tactics used by Junior Senator Joseph McCarthy (of whom Clooney chooses to use real archive footage rather than getting an actor to play his role). The film finds McCarthy in the midst of his infamous crusade against communism, and Strathairn and Clooney lead the CBS news team who choose to report the other side of the story. Naturally, this ruffles more than a few feathers, and the film follows the investigation as it goes about stirring up a proverbial hornet’s nest.
