“Good Night, and Good Luck” has every quality a film should have that would make you remember and applaud it. It chronicles the initial steps of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s downfall, beginning with numerous reports from “See It Now,” anchor Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). Despite cynical criticism and abandonment by sponsors, Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney) push forward to expose a corrupt, lying government. That’s a simple enough plot to last ninety three minutes. However, “Good Night, and Good Luck” makes you forget the length and focus on the more intriguing aspects, such as the performances, the cast, and the authenticity.

The performance of Strathairn is the most memorable. He is not just portraying a real person, but resurrecting Murrow to a new light and a new generation. It would be a shame if Strathairn received anything less than an Oscar nomination. Even though Clooney also gives a fine performance, I’d rather remember him as the director of this film rather than an actor.

Once known as an actor who only accepts leading roles, in “Good Night, and Good Luck” Clooney gives his film and his cast the opportunity to shine instead of him. He creates the film in standard black and white to give a real feel for the time period. He even uses archive footage of McCarthy himself, instead of an actor. The set design of the offices and the newsrooms answer the question, “What’s it like to work at CBS back then?” The supporting cast is not one of big stardom but of skill. Joe Wershba (Robert Downey Jr.), and as Shirley Wershba (Patricia Clarkson) as the secretly married co-workers, Don Hollenbeck (Ray Wise) as the envious anchor of Murrow, William Paley (Frank Langella) as the CBS news boss, and Sig Mickelson (Jeff Daniels) as a co-producer all shine in their small but respected roles. “Good Night, and Good Luck” joins “Pulp Fiction,” “The Usual Suspects,” “Heat”, and many more on my list of films with the best supporting cast.

It seems obvious that the film is giving one lesson and one message. The lesson is that what we went through in the past is likely to occur again. The film urges us to learn from our past to predict the future. The message is that there is a connection with the McCarthy years to our current leadership. Murrow’s report quotes William Shakespeare, “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not within our stars but within our-selves.”