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Movie Insider Director Michael Mann Producer Warner Brothers

AFTER Heat, Michael Mann is back at what heis best at – exposing and exploring the dark interiorsof human behaviour in classic film noir style. Here he chooses to dive into the murky world ofnews television using a real incident in a dramaticway. CBS network’s landmark show -- 60 minutes-- gets a sensational story on the tobacco industrybut there is a catch. The Insider from the research department has aconfidentiality clause to honour and the tobacco guyshave money and clout to protect their interests.Another battle is the classic confrontation between the editorial and the corporate sections of a television network. The country is America wherehistory has repeatedly recorded the power of free press from Nixon’s Watergate to the recent Billgate. The Insider is a gripping account of the eventsleading to the recording of the show episode and its sting-in-the-tail aftermath. Cinematically, the film is a treat to watch- from its gentle paced narrative that lends it authority particularly in our times, when Hollywood loves to manipulate us with thrills. Here’s a film that feels honest and passionate. A great script that unfolds gracefully, superb camerawork creating a micro-world in which the forces clash, sensitive editing and an eerie vocal-electronic mix of background score that heightens the movie’s theme. But eventually the film will belong to Russell Crowe. His portrayal of Dr. Wigand, the research chief of a tobacco company caught between righteous choices is a tour de force. Those who remember him fromL.A.Confidential are in for a surprise. He has worked out a new body language for this film. Other cast members support him well, Al Pacino as the producer of 60 minutes and Christopher Plummer as the show host in particular. For the quick fix entertainment seekers, the film is likely to feel a bit long but this reviewer urges you to hang in there because it is not too often a film comes by that makes you think. And you will- of issues larger than whether to light up your next cigarette or not.