Too slow, too long, too unimportant.

Rating: 5/10 (10 March 2000)

There are definitely parallels between this movie and 'All the Presidents Men' and it looked to me like the director was trying to produce an ATPM for the new Millenium. Well he failed. The difference is that ATPM was about the Constitution and this movie is about smoking. So it was hard to get excited about it. Michael Mann tried to use some of the tricks he used in 'Heat' - but it just didn't work since the subject was a bespecaled scientist with a PHd. This is another movie (The Green Mile is another) that is *way* too long. On the positive side, the acting is good - even Al Pacino tried to constrain his over-acting tendencies. But overall - pretty boring, too long - and another reason why American Beauty should sweep the Oscars. One other comment - the film was based on a program made in 1994 yet (small) mobile phones, the Internet and e-mail were seen. Sloppy directing.