Al Pacino plays Lowell Bergman, a producer for the popular news programme "60 Minutes", who is used to working on the front line of current affairs with his long time associate, anchorman Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). Beginning to investigate a story about the seven powerful tobacco companies, Bergman contacts Jeffrey Wigand (Crowe) who is an ex-vice president of scientific research at Brown and Williamson, one of the big seven. Wigand has just been fired on dubious grounds and is understandably angry, but unable to say anything to the media due to a confidentiality agreement which he signed when joining the firm. Wigand begins by explaining simple, general scientific matters to Bergman, carefully avoiding breaking his agreement. But Wigand is put under pressure by his former boss and is so outraged at how he is being manipulated that he decides to break his silence. He reveals to Bergman and to Wallace, in a taped interview, the duplicity of his former employers, who constantly deny knowing about the addictiveness of cigarettes despite their ample research which suggests otherwise. In return for his honesty and candour, Wigand goes through hell and Bergman joins him when it becomes apparent that his TV bosses are not too keen on running any story which might anger such a huge corporation as Brown and Williamson.

This could have been straightforward TV Movie stuff in other hands. But Michael Mann is a master of pace and visual style, and he makes an elegant film out of complex material, always keeping the story clear and straightforward without making it simplistic. Mann is at his best when prowling around closed communities, and the tobacco companies and the media world are evoked with his usual intensity. I gather that there are some people who claim that the film is over-fictionalised - Mike Wallace was especially displeased at his depiction as the incarnation of opportunism. But, bearing in mind that the essentials of the case are represented with a large degree of truth, I don't think the minor inventions are a problem unless you expected a straight documentary account of the facts of the case. Mann seems to be interested in individuals more than in issues, and this is a close study of, as he says, "ordinary people in extraordinary situations". Having said that, the film also has a lot to say about the restrictions placed on a supposedly free media. Emotionally, the film is totally convincing. There are few other directors who are as intuitive at knowing exactly where to place the camera and actors for maximum impact. Mann is especially good at revealing character through action, as in the seemingly irrelevant prologue set in Lebanon, which actually shows Bergman's willingness to do anything for a good story and his close relationship with Wallace. Naturally, the technical aspects of the film are above criticism. The use of the wide frame is masterly, as you would expect, and the cinematography is often breathtaking, with some superb hand held shots. Best of all, the pacing is so good that this lengthy film actually seems to finish too soon !

Since there are no action set-pieces in this film, much weight is placed on the actors to come up trumps - and they don't disappoint. Al Pacino is as watchable as ever, and more restrained than in other recent films - I found his shouting in "Heat" a bit tiresome - but the film is stolen by two other performers. As Wigand, Russell Crowe is magnificent, creating a man who is completely convincing in his confused reactions to events he has set in motion but which he can't control. Using exquisitely controlled body language and his expressive eyes, he becomes the character so completely that I almost didn't recognise him. The other great performance is by Christopher Plummer, who brings such hilariously self-delusional gravitas to Wallace that I would give him the Best Supporting Actor award on the spot. Sadly, he wasn't even nominated, but the scene where he turns his anger on the corporate lawyer is a moment to savour. The film is filled out with amusing bits from a gallery of familiar faces, such as Michael Gambon, Philip Baker Hall and Bruce McGill.

A very fine film then, and one which you should rush out to see if it's still showing at a cinema in your area. On the small screen, Mann's use of the wide frame is less dazzling, although still highly impressive. Otherwise, it should be at the top of your DVD shopping list.

The disc itself is generally very good indeed, and a distinct improvement on some other offerings from Touchstone. I can't fault the image quality. It looks, quite simply, ravishing, displaying the striking visuals of the film with beautiful clarity. The anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer looks slightly askew, with a larger bar at the bottom than at the top, but this is apparently how Mann wishes the film to be seen on television and it's not an issue after the first minute or two of the film. The sound is equally good. An involving experience, with the music pulsating to great effect. The dialogue is crisp, and the surround environment is used with a subtle, cunning intelligence.

The rest of the disc is interesting, but not as substantial as one might have hoped. There is the theatrical trailer, and a featurette. This only lasts six minutes, but the enthusiasm of Mann and his actors is such that I would have loved to hear a full length audio commentary - perhaps involving the real Jeffrey Wigand. The most interesting extra is, however, the "Inside a Scene" feature. This takes us through a key scene - the first meeting of Bergman and Wigand - showing us the location notes written by Mann, the direction to the actors, the script and the finished product. It's a fascinating masterclass in filmmaking, and it leaves you hungry for much more. I would have liked to see the entire script, since it is a fine example of how to write an "issue" movie without standing on a soapbox.

There are a rather meagre 30 chapter stops provided. We also get some trailers for forthcoming attractions that run when you insert the disc, but fortunately they can be skipped. By the way, the package states that it contains "Production Featurette - Audio Commentary With Al Pacino and Russell Crowe". I couldn't find anything on the disc resembling an audio commentary, so this presumably means that there are comments from Pacino and Crowe contained in the featurette. Rather misleading though.

I love this film. It's riveting from the first scene to the last and so well made that it leaves most other contemporary films looking rather clumsy. It's not afraid to give us a genuine modern hero in the shape of Wigand, yet it doesn't sentimentalise him or make him cutely funny. The DVD is not as rich as we might have wanted it to be, but the film looks and sounds fantastic. Very highly recommended.

Mike Sutton