Engaging and impressive across the board despite a few niggles

Rating: Null/10 (10 March 2008)

Fired from his vice-president research job with a large tobacco firm, Jeffrey Wigand accepts a temporary consultation role for Sixty Minutes producer Lowell Bergman. During this comparatively straightforward role, Wigand catches Bergman's interest by clearly stressing what he can discuss and not discuss. From this casual comment, Bergman starts asking and learns of Wigand's opinion that the CEO of his former employer perjured himself because the firm is very much aware of the addictive effect of their product. When Wigand decides to move forward with Sixty Minutes and act as a whistleblower, pressure is very quickly brought to bear on him, his family and all the companies involved in the story.
There appears to be little debate on this site as to whether or not this film is long and slow  it almost certainly is both. However where there is a lack of consensus is over the question of whether this is a problem or not. So we get comments saying how engaging it all is contrasted with those bemoaning it for its length and how boring it all was. I cannot say who is right or wrong, all I can do is add my opinion to theirs and say that to me there was the risk of this being quite hard work and I think it is credit to those involved that it is not. I was surprised by the fact that I still had not gotten round to seeing this film almost a decade after it was made, but in my defence the subject does make it sound like it will be dry as sand and as exciting as ironing. Still, given the stuff I do watch it is a real oversight on my part not to have seen such a high profile film.
Watching it for the first time is to be impressed. As someone else has said, most people will know how it ends but yet the film still manages to grip the viewer. The story itself is fascinating not only in regards what happens but also its wider meaning. The script allows the viewer to understand the commercial forces on the tobacco companies but also on the news firms and this helps to make the film more interesting than just the very specific story of Wigand. However the central story itself is still interesting and it does fill the time with a steady (albeit slow) pace throughout. The liberal bias inherent in the telling is a little off-putting as the film seems to be aiming a bit too squarely for corporations and those making the money rather than just letting the audience draw their own conclusions. That aside though it is still a quality piece of work across the board.
Mann's direction draws out strong performances and also puts the audience into the action even when, technically, there isn't any. He is greatly helped by cinematographer Spinotti, who delivers corporate blues and greys as well as alternating between a static camera in some scenes and a unsteady handcam that matches the increasing stress and strain being put on Wigand. The lead two are both excellent. Pacino of course chews the scenery but he does so in a way that is comparatively restrained to when he is particularly hammy  here he is just right, a strong presence but not to the point of being detrimental. Crowe is just as impressive but provides a very subtle performance that has the material but lacks the flamboyance of Pacino's performance while being just as good. Support is solid with turns from Hall, Plummer, Gambon, Gershon, Torn, Tobolowsky and Venora and the cast doesn't really have a weak spot.
It is long, it has very little in the way of "action" for those looking for explosions and such and the political slant on the telling is very much to the Left, but yet it is engaging and professionally done. The cast are impressive at best and strong at worst while Mann and Spinotti have produced a film that is beautifully crafted and uses the camera to engage the audience as well as the performances and story. Don't follow my procrastinating example and seek this film out soon.