This biting satire of media gone mad features a terrific cast: Holden as an old-time news guy, Finch in his Oscar-winning role of the mad prophet of the airwaves, and especially Dunaway as a woman whose life ambition is "a 30 share and a 20 rating." Lumet is usually a reliable director but this is Chayefsky's film and he wants to make sure he is the center of attention. Although he offers some keen observations, Chayefsky spends too much time having his characters pontificating pretentiously. It just becomes tiresome after a while, and the plot just becomes too silly, even for a satire. What's more, the relationship between Holden and Dunaway is never believable.
