|    Avg. user rating: 5 ratings By George! Best of Clooney
9. "Fail Safe" (2000): Clooney
grew up around the TV business. His father, Nick, was a Cincinnati news anchor
and TV host, so Clooney has shown a deep interest in the quality and integrity
of the medium. During his "ER" stint, he successfully pushed
producers to broadcast a ... more somewhat famous live episode. And in a brave experiment
that should happen more often on television, Clooney recreated the excitement
and verve of live teleplays (a la "Playhouse 90") with the live production of
"Fail Safe," directed by Stephen Frears ("The Queen"). Adaptated by blacklist veteran Walter Bernstein
from the Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler novel and executive produced by
Clooney, this remake of the Sidney Lumet's 1964 original felt
vintage yet refreshingly modern — in Walter Cronkite's introduction, we learn
that a live teleplay hadn't happened in more than 30 years. The Cold War tale
posits the nail-biting premise of the American military and the president of the
United States dealing with a bomber heading to Russia, which gives the actors
ample time to fret, emote and engage without the safety net of the director
yelling, "Cut!" Acting with an excellent ensemble cast, Clooney plays his
smaller role as a bomber pilot wonderfully straight, and he shines in an
especially moving scene with his son. If he can handle this on live television,
we're hoping a tread across the boards is next. (Everett
Collection)
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