Unless you enjoy dreadfully boring black and white films....

As someone who lives across The Pond, who heard about McCarthy as a child, but never really understood the 'hoo-ha'(as my US cousins would put it), I found this gripping.
You see, we are of a disposition to believe that US citizens are reactionary, simplistic, anti-communist and nationalistic, to the point of stupidity.
We laugh at the 'Reds Under the Beds' scare-mongering.

Now, when I say we, I mean, we as a nation of p!ss-takers, not me personally. It's a national trait thing. We enjoy taking the p!ss out of others- The French, Germans, Dutch, Yanks etc. etc. for real or imagined national foibles.

This was an intelligent film. One which showed the good and bad side of the US. There are very few countries which hold a mirror up to themselves and ask people to question their past and present quite as much as you and we do.

I think this shows a sign of real maturity in a nation. One which I salute.

Oh, I've just inadvertently said the Yanks are very British!

I remember watching this as part of my Media Studies course for A Levels, I found it a hard watch back then and, personally, I didn't have an understanding on politics. I can definitely relate to your opinion, it is a hard watch if you are unfamiliar on the subject matter or not an avid film goer, but its one of those films which requires an experienced viewing. I watched it just now and found it gripping also enlightened me on the implications of McCarthy's accusations, scary stuff right there

For a generation of moviegoers programmed to need 200 CGI effects per frame, loud in-your-face noise and violence, and mind-dumbing plots and characters, this film would prove to be a challenge.

It talks rather than screams.

Educates rather than numbs.

That is such a silly review of a film. What is your problem, man? Do you have something against B/W films? Okay, so maybe you also called 'Schindler's List', 'Raging Bull', 'Ed Wood' as lousy films? Then, what do you want- brash, colorful films like 'Transformers'? or what about 'Clash Of Titans'? I think you love such kind of films.

You say that nothing happened in the film. What were you, drugged or something? The film is a real-life account of the battle between CBS anchor Ed Murrow and Senator McCarthy regarding the latter's persecution of suspected Communists in USA. It is a film that deals with TV journalism and by the way, when there is a battle on TV screens, it does not mean that everyone will start firing away guns. It means that there will be some intelligent, argumentative conversations and by that way the movie captures the tension perfectly.

Was it like an old documentary? Think about the music. Think about the way it blended in the narrative. The jazz scenes, for example, added mood and atmosphere to the film, to recreate the look and feel of the 50s era. The bonding scenes between the crew- the way they drink Scotch, or converse about the ideas before transcripts. The rapport between the characters- and most notably, the way how Fred Friendly taps on Murrow's leg just before the telecasts start.... Do you think that a documentary could capture all that human essence?

And one last thing, if you are really a political science major, do you think that this is a political movie? Really? No, this is rather a film that talks about journalism and how it can become a powerful tool of protest and dissent against the authority. It suggests that TV, when powerfully used, can become a weapon for protest. I think only a few films- maybe 'Network' can handle that kind of stuff.

You may think otherwise but I would say that GNAGL is possibly one of the best films of the 2000s. George Clooney deserved a Best Director Oscar, Straitharn was unforgettable as Murrow and it is ultimately a masterpiece...

I knew nothing about the subject, or who any of those people were (they didn't teach us much about American politics or history in school) but since I'm used to seeing a lot of 30s-40s-50s movies, this was not dreadfully boring or slow, it had its own smooth pace and it got more interesting as it progressed. Come to think about it, it might be the best movie of the year.

I completely agree. this has to be the first multi-oscar-nominated movie (especially in the big categories, Picture, director and best actor) where I could just NOT get into it. my GOD was it boring. no plot, no character arc from anyone, no real dramatic scenes. I guess you'd have to be familiar with the event beforehand to truly appreciate this movie but my god this was the most boring movie I've seen in a while.

For me, I love intelligent movies. Black and white or colours, silent or talking, from any period and country.
You should try more often, it could be instructive for you.



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"Don't act, be !" (Kate Winslet)

Extremely boring subject matter with zero tension and next to zero drama
Can I recommend some nice Jennifer Aniston or Adam Sandler movies for you?

As a political science major that actually finds politics relatively interesting
Where exactly are you studying political science? Harvard? Stanford?