I'm really in two minds about this. It's great- but not as great as I'd hoped. The direction, cinematography and performances are all great. What holds me back from loving this is the script- and I can see myself getting tied up in knots about this. For a film from over thirty years ago, the film is remarkably prescient. I don't think that ratings chasing, dumbing down, callous corporate politics or exploitation were new concepts in 1976 by any means- but the exploitation of a mental breakdown, on-screen deaths or murderous political activitism would all follow in the years that followed Network. I just feel that the way that these things unfold here is unrealistic- even when they have, in essence, come to pass. This is the apex of melodrama. And do ordinary people really decide upon a murder so calmly and certainly.
The other thing about the script which irked me was that every character in every scene no matter how animated or sullen or overwrought or in control or even psychotically deranged spoke in exactly the same polished and seamless voice. They all had a fantastic range of vocabulary, never stumbling or searching for the right phrase or capable of being misinterpreted as if they all had thesauruses (thesaurii?) to hand. Life isn't like that and so real-life drama shouldn't be like that. It's just a bug-bear of mine. The dialogue is great and quotable, it is beautifully delivered and sticks in the memory but it's never that easy to find the right... erm... you know, the right means of delivering an emotional message... articulating, that's it- it's never that easy articulating your thoughts off the cuff.
Aside from those gripes, this is first-rate movie making. Peter Finch gives a great performance as the deranged Harry Beale (like the Fool in Shakespeare's King Lear), William Holden is more understated but no less effective in the role which holds the whole piece together, Faye Dunaway delivers her usual performance of the era (usually very good, never excellent) and Ned Beatty with just one powerful scene in the whole film is mind-blowing.
Notwithstanding my reservations about the script (and it does make important comments about exploitation, dumbing-down and spoon-feeding) this is still a fine movie. 7/10 and I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more.
