Clooney continues his still blooming directorial fascination with television icons. Of course, this time he opts for a less comical figure in choosing Edward R Murrow, one of the bravest men in broadcast journalism. Good Night and Good Luck follows Murrows bold criticisms of senator Joseph McCarthy and his hysterical policy on subversive elements in America, at a time when hysteria over atomic war and Russian communism was already peaking.

It’s interesting to see someone like Clooney continuing to make films (or at least more than one). Even more curious is how someone who’s first film was written by screenwriting prodigy Charlie Kaufman makes a second effort, and chooses non-fictional subject matter that he must manipulate carefully enough while not overwhelming it with his own vision. I bring up the Kaufman thing because I find it funny that Clooney hated Kaufman’s script. And I typically look back on that film as a Kaufman piece. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind had the look of someone who sort of knew what he was doing, but wasn’t completely certain about it. Good Night and Good Luck departs almost completely, in terms of visual tone. Stark black and whites replace the day glo silliness of the former, and we truly get a sense of Murrow’s rather focused and paranoid environment. Clooney seems to be paying attention a little more closely this time around. However, some of Clooney’s scene to scene transitions are completely banal, and he utilizes voice-overs that carry over in a way that is slightly predictable. Still, the drama here isn’t too heavy-handed, and he does an excellent job at portraying Murrow’s stoic character without delving too deeply into his life and attempting to explain too much to his audience.

The subplots here are basically irrelevant. Good Night has its moments when it isn’t deviating from its central focus; how unjust McCarthyism was as far as civil rights are concerned. Strathairn is magical too. I’ve never seen him deliver a performance quite as powerful as this one. Even if Clooney had done a lesser job, Strathairn still would’ve saved the film.