Insanely Entertaining

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2010)

Absolute stunner from Michael Mann about an everyday Joe (Russell Crowe, fattened out and uglied up) who teams with a powerhouse attorney (Al Pacino) to expose corrupt dealings at a big tobacco company.
The film is based on a true story, and the payoff is only as good as it was in real life, which is modest to say the least. But the film benefits from smokin' direction from Mann and stellar performances by Crowe, Pacino and Chrisopher Plummer, who plays Mike Wallace, the man who broke the story to the American people on "60 Minutes."
Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, "The Insider" went home empty-handed while embarrassingly lesser films like "American Beauty" and "The Cider House Rules" dominated.
Grade: A+