Smokin' !

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2001)

The Insider: You have a director at the top of his form. Excellent writing. Three completely awesome and believeable actors. A sublime soundtrack.

It's just such a shame there aren't more of these: serious adult dramas.
What next from Michael Mann ? He seems to be batting 1000 in my book. We'll see how he tackles a complex subject like Ali later this year, but fortunately for us, he has given what may be the best movie of the 90s.
I do not know how R.Crowe does it, but somehow he captured the essence of an otherwise normal, scientific everyman put into a pressure cooker and forced to squirm out from underneath it. The scene in the hotel room, when he and Al Pacino first meet: this is such a wonderful scene. Full of subtle clues and clever and affecting writing/direction and acting. Watch how Lowell (Pacino) who knows nothing about Jeffrey (Crowe) and what he has to say measures him and equally impressive is Jeffrey's nervous assertion of Lowell.
At one point later in the film, Jeffery remarks he cannot find the parameters to effectively make a decision. Spoken like a true man of science. His crumbling under the weight of his life is entirely palpable as is Lowell steadfast resolve to stick to his guns, despite being under his own legal and professional stress.
I could go on and on but I won't except to say that I hope Michael Mann and his team continue to create excellent dramatic stories that require us, the viewer, to use our brains and watch the movie with patience and attention.