- Film Review
- Reviewed By Neil Smith
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5 out of 5
Big Tobacco comes under the spotlight in this virtuoso ethical drama directed by Michael Mann, based on the true case of a whistle-blower whose life was ruined when he decided to tell all to 60 Minutes. Russell Crowe plays Jeffrey Wigand, the sacked executive who went public with his firm's dark secrets, only to find his interview canned by network heads terrified of a potentially catastrophic law suit. Al Pacino sears the screen as Lowell Bergman, the producer who broke the story, while Christopher Plummer is superb as anchorman Mike Wallace. True, Mann has little interest in his female characters - Diane Venora is criminally underused as Wigand's wife Liane - but if you're searching for signs of intelligent life in Hollywood, look no further than this dazzling exposé of money, morals and the media.
Plot Summary
Drama based on a true story, starring Al Pacino, Russell Crowe and Christopher Plummer. When stories are leaked to the press about deliberate negligence involving carcinogenic additives in tobacco, the spotlight falls on former executive Jeffrey Wigand. But Wigand's forthright willingness to reveal all is soon compromised by corporate muscle and even death threats.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Lowell Bergman
- Al Pacino
- Jeffrey Wigand
- Russell Crowe
- Mike Wallace
- Christopher Plummer
- Liane Wigand
- Diane Venora
- Don Hewitt
- Philip Baker Hall
- Sharon Tiller
- Lindsay Crouse
- Debbie De Luca
- Debi Mazar
- Eric Kluster
- Stephen Tobolowsky
- Helen Caperelli
- Gina Gershon
- Thomas Sandefur
- Michael Gambon
- John Scanlon
- Rip Torn
Crew
- Director
- Michael Mann
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