Robert Downey Jr is, in my mind, a great actor. Tormented certainly, but he’s also a very great actor. It’s a shame he’s not on our screens more, and the roles he’s played from Chaplin to Ally McBeal, and even his muted comeback in Gothika have all been excellent and uniquely Downey. The screen definitely needs to see more of him.
So it is great news this morning that I read in Coming Soon from Clooney Studio that he is set to star in a Clooney directed movie, and a nicely weighted one at that.
Robert Downey Jr. will star in the George Clooney-directed Goodnight, and Good Luck, which Clooney will also star in. The film is about the renowned CBS News anchor Edward R. Murrow’s legendary on-air confrontations with red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy that helped bring down the infamous politician in the mid-1950s.
The screenplay by Clooney and Grant Heslov traces the true story of how Murrow (Strathairn), and his producer, Fred Friendly (Clooney), helped bring an end to the tyranny of the blacklist and the House Un-American Activities Committee’ anti-Communist hearings. With the platform provided by his CBS News program “See It Now,” Murrow challenged McCarthy on his claims that hundreds of avowed Communists were working covertly as Soviet spies in the U.S. government, among other allegations that at the time had the power to destroy lives and careers.
An excellent topic for a movie, and something that really needs to be tackled since there are so many mirrors in today’s society. Perfect weighty role for Downey as well, and with Clooney showing off his directing talents and, hopefully, producing an equally weighty performance, this could be an excellent movie. I hope for big things from this and Downey.
