GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (2005): 4 stars out of 4. Starring David Strathairn, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella, Tate Donovan, Ray Wise and Reed Diamond. Music by Dianne Reeves. Written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov. Directed by Clooney. Rated PG. Running time: 90 mins.

        George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck, is a valentine to one of broadcast journalism's finest and defining hours: the exposure of the demagogue junior senator from Wisconsin, the Red-baiting Joseph McCarthy, who in the early to mid-1950s, through intimidation, innuendo and fear, did more to divide America than unite it against the perceived threat of the Soviet Union.

        Clooney, who co-stars as CBS producer Fred Friendly, has created a semi-claustrophobic environment, with much of the film confined to network offices and cramped studios.

        The smartest decision Clooney made was not to hire an actor to portray McCarthy, but to use actual newsreel footage, allowing the audience to hear the senator spew his own venom.

The film's hero is Edward R. Murrow, the legendary CBS newsman whose See It Now programs helped shed light on the abuses wrought by McCarthy.

And while other newspapers and newsmen had been critical of McCarthy, it was Murrow's stature and gravitas in the industry that, as the film implies, greatly aided in diminishing his influence.

        And David Strathairn as Murrow faithfully captures that aura. Strathairn is a fine actor who has given wonderful performances over the years in such films as John Sayles' Matewan and Eight Men Out, as well as L.A. Confidential, Silkwood, Bob Roberts and A League of Their Own.

        In Good Night, and Good Luck, he channels the righteous anger and dignity of Murrow. He is the foundation on which the movie in built. It is difficult to see any other actor playing this part.

        The central story is bookended by a speech Murrow gave in 1958 to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, in which he decried the subjugation of news by entertainment in the media.

        His words ring truer today than they did 57 years ago.

        And the movie's plot also echoes our current climate in which honest dissension is frowned upon as unpatriotic and treasonable.

        Clooney has assembled a strong cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Reed Diamond, Ray Wise and Tate Donovan.

        The strongest support comes from veteran Frank Langella who has been wasted in so many thankless roles in so many ordinary films that you forget what an outstanding actor he is.

        As William Paley, the owner of CBS, Langella straddles that thin line between doing what is morally right and looking out for his interests and those of his stockholders.

        He does not interfere with Murrow and Friendly as they take on McCarthy, despite the scrutiny and lost revenue it brings his network.

But when all is said and done, he knows the future of television lies in entertainment, so he relegates See It Now to a Sunday morning slot and limits Murrow and Friendly to five more shows before pulling the plug.

        Good Night, and Good Luck is one of the best movies of the year, with Strathairn's performance bound to earn him a best actor Oscar nomination. That will only be one of several accolades the movie deserves. For this is a feature as relevant and timely today as the period that it covers.

       Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
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