Good Night, and Good Luck - ACE Train Movie Review

In 1953, Edward R. Murrow was one of the best-known newsmen on television. Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, was generating controversy with his allegations that Communists had risen to positions of power and influence in America, and an Air Force pilot, Milo Radulovich, has been kicked out of the service due to McCarthy's charges that he was a Communist agent. However, Radulovich had been dismissed without a formal hearing of the charges, and he protested that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. Murrow decided to do a story on Radulovich's case questioning the legitimacy of his dismissal. McCarthy responded by accusing Murrow of being a Communist, leading to a legendary news program in which both Murrow and McCarthy presented their sides of the story, which was seen by many as the first step toward McCarthy's downfall. Meanwhile, Murrow had to deal with CBS head William Paley, who was supportive of Murrow but extremely wary of his controversial positions.

This was a docudrama about events that took place way before my time. Therefore, I didn't have an immediate connection to the film and feel like I was re-living anything from my past. However, the film did a great job capturing what I would guess the 1950s would be like and the topic was compelling enough to keep my interest for the most part. Some of the themes in the film run parallel to events happening in the modern day - just substitute "Communist" with "Terrorist" and you can imagine the fear people felt and the political maneuvering that took place. But, today there is much more freedom in terms of what can be broadcast over the airwaves, probably thanks to people like Edward R. Murrow who pushed the boundaries from the beginning. Overall, I look at this film as a good history lesson, but not a great movie. By the way, did Philip Morris sponsor this film?

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey, Jr., Patricia Clarkson

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.