It is the summer of 1968 in the city of Chicago, Illinois and the whole world is watching. As the city runs rife with turmoil, we meet two news reporters as they are covering a fatal car accident on one early morning. The accident appears to have just happened and the main focus of these two reporters is not on the safety of the victims, but on covering this "hot, new story". Before the opening credits roll, we are presented with the only dialogue exchange during this brief introduction, "Better call an ambulance". It was at this point that I knew that I would be seeing a film unlike any other - a film that calls into question the ethical and moral responsibilities of not only the new reporters, but every day citizens alike.
Haskell Wexler's political drama, Medium Cool, follows John Cassellis, a camera man facing a moral crisis about what is right and what is wrong to report as a news reporter. John tackles a wide range of topics, such as racism, but it takes its toll on him. Being a news reporter, especially during a time like this, can be very dangerous. There are many walks of life that the news reporters constantly come into contact with and it does not take much to get onto their bad sides. However, the most dangerous individuals are those that we are the closest with. It does not take much for an individual that we trust to turn on us in the blink of an eye, especially when it involves getting ahead in life.
It is very hard to go into Medium Cool without a general appreciation for politics and / or history. The film does an excellent job at conveying exactly what our country was facing during this very difficult and hectic time of 1968. As the country still mourned over President Kennedy's death several years previously, the country faced another assassination, that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the month of April. As if this was not bad enough, our country was also facing The Civil Rights Movement, The Vietnam War, and a new Presidential Election. With so much going on, it was very hard to pick a side or even make sense of the ensuing chaos.
The important thing to understand about this film is that while so much was going on, it was a time for new beginnings. With new presidential candidates running for office, for example, there was hope for a just and equal world in the upcoming years. As we saw in the years that did follow, we had a lot of advancements, equal rights for women, among other things, due to the Women's Rights Movement and other similar campaigns.
Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool is shot in a fictional, documentary-type style. While one side of the film shows how ruthless the media can be, the other side offers the viewer a sense of hope during such a dark and difficult time. With so much going on during this period, it is very impressive to see how our country pulled together and fought for their own opinions, beliefs, and rights. I personally believe that if somebody did not take a stand at this point, then a lot of the things that we currently have would not be as prominent or as significant as they are now.
America truly is wonderful.
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to blind buy Salo. 
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