Wolff rating: EXCELLENT
Plot summary: The real-life story (dramatized a lot) of how a tobacco executive revealed the inner workings of nicotene science.
Biased, pithy comments: This is a powerful piece of film. It was a hard story to market, I'm sure---I didn't want to see it until a few friends had gushed over it; I mean, I know cigarettes are bad for me, what's more to know? It turns out a lot more. Wigand and Bergman, the two protagonists, are in a terrible dilemma, both legal and personal, and the pressures put to bear on them are huge. Plummer channels Mike Wallace perfectly, and the surprise of the century was seeing Rip Torn in the credits and not noticing he's there. Mann has made a deeply personal work---the story is told from handheld cameras and concerns the inner workings of the hearts of men trying to do something that seems right, but maybe isn't more right than a number of other things. Only the tobacco companies come out truly evil. I suppose it could have been shorter from time to time, and perhaps its very bladder-busting running length held it back, but it's certainly worth seeing, not the least because it's a riveting drama without car chases and explosions.
Other Notes: Both Wigand and Bergman seemed to approve of this adaptation of their lives, and Wigand apparently asked that no one smoke in the film. Nearly no one does, outside of two extras. This movie is accurate in the shape of the story, but many details have been sacrificed to make it into a movie.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Philip Baker Hall.
Directed by: Michael Mann