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October 14, 2005

At the Movies: Ambitious Murrow tribute proves its relevance

By CHRISTY LEMIRE
AP Movie Critic

George Clooney's first film as a director — 2002's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," about game show host Chuck Barris — was admirably ambitious but ultimately unfocused, brought down by Clooney's desire to root the film in reality while simultaneously trying to keep the audience on its toes through the perspective of its main character's insanity.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Director: George Clooney

Cast: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Frank Langella Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson

Rating: PG for mild thematic elements and brief language

Running time: 90 minutes

Clooney's second film as a director — "Good Night, and Good Luck," about TV journalist Edward R. Murrow — is just as ambitious, but it's a marvel of precise vision. Shot in crisp black and white and set in only a few rooms at the CBS News headquarters, it has the spare look and cadence of a play and runs an efficient 90 minutes long. (If it were any more minimalist, it would be Lars von Trier's "Dogville," with chalk outlines on a soundstage floor in place of buildings.)


 
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