Paddy Chayefsky's script provides the basis for a searing takedown of news, or what passes for it, versus the quest for ratings. It's hard to pick a favorite actor out of so many masterful performances. Peter Finch gives the film's most memorable lines ("I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!") as "mad prophet of the airwaves" Howard Beale, but Ned Beatty as a thundering executive and Faye Dunaway as a scheming ladder-climber are unforgettable. Perhaps the film's only flaw is its abrupt ending, but when a film is this good, any ending is bound to be disappointing because you just don't want it to stop.