carter-drewj This flick which cares nothing for truth and reality, portrays Edward R. Murrow as the hero and Joe McCarthy as the villain.Nothing could be further from the truth as the release of the Venona papers proves! (The Venona Papers) published in 1995 show for a fact that every single person called before Joe McCarthy was not just a member of the Communist Party, but working agents in contact with Russia and the KGB! History shows that the only honest person at the hearings was Joe McCarthy.McCarthy is demonized for trying to ruin American lives with zero proof. McCarthy had the proof, and now so do We! Edward R. Murrow went on in his life to take shcool bus tours of American children to Russia. Great Movie if you don't mind being lied to over, and over, and over. The wrong hero is painted in this terrible movie.

sddavis63 This is an important subject from a historical perspective. The "red scare" era, where everyone and anyone could be suspected of being a communist simply on the basis of rumours or hearsay, and where lives and careers were ruined because of the sometimes questionable connections that were established, and which gave rise to the otherwise obscure and undistinguished Senator Joseph McCarthy, is a fascinating one. This is even a relevant movie - because to some extent the smear tactics used against communists are being used once again against Muslims today, as politicians try to make names for themselves and win elections by whipping up fear. This is an interesting subject - because it focuses on the work of Edward R. Murrow, one of the greatest reporters of all time, in standing up against McCarthy, and committing himself to bringing the man down. And yet, important, relevant and interesting though it is, this is also a pretty dry presentation.Some people liked the decision of director (and co-star, as producer Fred Friendly) George Clooney to film this in black and white. I suppose there were reasons for it. First because it gave the movie a nostalgic feel (although increasingly there are fewer people who would feel the nostalgia because black and white television isn't even in the memory banks of very many people under the age of 50.) It might be that a political point was being made - the dangers of everything being seen in black and white terms. There are good guys and bad guys and never the two shall mix. To me, and I do have some memories of black and white TV, the black and white was a distraction. It added little to the movie. Overall, beyond the black and white, I thought the story seemed to lack something in the power department. It was very low key - TOO low key for my liking. Obviously I wasn't expecting an action movie, but I was expecting something a bit more dramatic.Not that there weren't many good things about this. First, I liked David Strathairn's performance as Murrow. He portrayed Murrow as I would imagine him - a no nonsense, tell it like it is kind of reporter who's willing to butt heads with the powers that be at CBS if he has to in order to tell it like it is. That certainly led to a critique of television that truly relevant today. To what extent does TV news seek to inform, and to what extent does it exist to entertain? How powerful are sponsors in deciding what can and can't be covered? Worthwhile questions, to be sure. I also appreciated the video clips of McCarthy himself. The movie also portrayed the tragedy of CBS newsman Don Hollenbeck (Ray Wise) who became himself tainted with communism after choosing to associate himself with Murrow's attacks an McCarthy, and ended up committing suicide - although, in reality, several weeks passed between that incident and Hollenback's death.Too much was made of the relationship between Joe and Shirley Wershba (Robert Downey, Jr. and Patricia Clarkson.) Co-workers at CBS, they were also secretly married, because at the time CBS didn't allow fellow employees of the network to be married. Quaint, perhaps, but I didn't think it warranted the amount of screen time it got.

Kirpianuscus cold. and honest. more than a good work, an useful warning. magnificent performance of David Strathaim. and a new George Cloony who gives not exactly the portrait of a politician or the image of a team against a powerful adversary but the spirit of a period who could not be only slice from the past. a good film. but, more important, an useful one. for the science to respect the right tone about a delicate subject. for the remind about the fragile balance of power and about the democracy as a building in construction. for the wise definition of a status of media in society. for the inspired sketch of courage as part of duty. for the special portrait of hero. and for the universal message. because Mc Carthy is not only a character. maybe, only a temptation for each political actor.

LeonLouisRicci Perhaps the only Valid Criticism of this Near Perfect Movie is that it could have been Longer. The Setting and Place, the Impact and the Fallout, the Timeless Resonance and Importance of Director/Writer/Star George Clooney's Look Back at Edward R. Murrow and His "Outing" of Sen. Joe McCarthy and His Bullying, and the Devastating Effect His Communist Witch Hunt Unleashed on Innocent People is so Complicated and Intertwining that its Short Running Time is a Frustrating Teasing of Events.It is Nothing if not a Launching Pad for Newbies to the "Red Scare" and can Inspire those that are Interested and Willing. But it is the Behemoth of Behavior Among the Media, Politicians, and for that matter, Anyone Alive at the Time because All were Affected and in some Way or another Involved.Clooney's Little Movie is Big on a very Short Time Span. About a Two Week Period of Murrow's and CBS's Decision to Editorialize and Confront McCarthy, not so Much for His Interest in Exposing Communists, but for the Sleazy and Terrorizing Tactics that were Used to Make almost Anyone a Suspect.The Movie is Virtually Flawless in the Snapshot it Takes on this Flash of Television Journalism and is an Insider's View on Murrow, TV News, and the Networks Role as Entertainers/Sponsor Subservient/Businesses. A Magnificent Minimalist Production with an Outstanding Cast from Top to Bottom with David Strathairn's Absolute Embodiment of Edward R. Murrow.